Construction of the Public Safety Center is currently on schedule for completion in Spring 2020. The gypsum board (drywall) is to be complete this week with tapping and plastering to follow. Final painting of the interior walls is ongoing. The T-Bar Ceiling is currently being installed along the first floor and lighting is being installed...
This past week, Public Works partnered with the Fire Department and their AmeriCorps team to plant 22 new trees in the Sun Valley neighborhood. The trees were planted in conjunction with the City's Sidewalk Repair Program; a joint program between property owners and the City to repair and replace damaged sidewalks. Many times, sidewalk displacement...
PG&E crews have closed Southern Heights Boulevard between addresses 78 and 94 to perform emergency work on a main gas line. Please avoid the area and use alternate routes until the work is complete and the road is reopened. More information regarding the reopening of Southern Heights Boulevard will be provided when it becomes available....
The B Street Community Center restrooms were last renovated in June 1998. Since then, thousands of patrons have been using this facility. The Community Center is open 12 months of the year, 7 days per week. As can be imagined, the wear and tear of the facilities are evident. Last October, the City bid the...
On Wednesday, December 4th, City staff met with SMART, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), and City consultants to visit each of the railroad crossings along the Larkspur Extension. The review was to verify that all required safety measures necessary for implementation of a Quiet Zone were installed. While both the City and SMART have minor...
Collision history is an important part of any analysis that the Traffic Engineering division prepares. We need to know the collision history at an intersection or roadway segment in order to determine the appropriate traffic control. Controls might include installing an all-way stop, adding more red curb, lowering the speed limit, or restricting right-turns on...
This past weekend’s storm dropped almost 6 inches of rain in the North Bay. Public Works maintenance crews worked around the clock responding to local flooding and downed trees. This weekend we are expecting another storm that is predicted to bring 3 to 4 inches of rain to the North Bay. Public Works crews have...
The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) has announced commercial service on the Larkspur Extension from Downtown San Rafael to the Larkspur Station will start on December 14th. A ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled at 1:00 PM on December 13th at the Larkspur Station to celebrate the completion of this second segment of SMART’s rail service. The new service...
On Sunday, November 17th, SMART began pre-revenue service by running empty trains between downtown San Rafael and Larkspur. It is anticipated that the pre-revenue service will last for several weeks until SMART receives authorization to begin carrying passengers to Larkspur. SMART is running their regular weekday/weekend schedule allowing them to perform their final tests. City...
The emergency power shut downs by PG&E generated high traffic volumes in San Rafael. The California Vehicle Code states that signalized intersections should be treated as all-way stops when the traffic signals go dark. However, many motorists did not abide by these traffic rules and regulations. The Public Works’ Parks and Streets Divisions worked quickly...
On November 19th, City staff and members of the San Rafael community celebrated Chief Gray’s career and the grand opening of Fire Station 57. Chief Gray devoted 12 years of his life to the San Rafael Fire Department. Among those in attendance were guests from fire departments across the State, retired firefighters, the Police Department,...
The City of San Rafael has been working with SMART to begin the Quiet Zone to coincide with the start of commercial operations. Since SMART intends to begin commercial operations on the second or third week of December, on Thursday, November 21, the City of San Rafael issued its Notice of Establishment of a Quiet...
SMART has completed 100% of all the required testing for the Larkspur extension, and the next step in preparing to open the Larkspur station for service is to begin simulated service to the new Larkspur station on Sunday, November 17. Simulated service will demonstrate the operational functioning of the full system from Sonoma County Airport...
On Saturday, November 16, 2019 at 10:00 AM, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA), Caltrans, Contra Costa Transportation Authority, and the Transportation Authority of Marin will be celebrating the opening of a new six-mile Bay Trail segment, allowing bicyclists and pedestrians to travel between Contra Costa and Marin County. The event will...
Recently, Grand Avenue was resurfaced from the bridge deck to 2nd Street. Fresh roadway provides us with an opportunity to make improvements to the lane configuration. On the south leg of the intersection, the road is wide enough to add a northbound right-turn pocket. Therefore, motorists trying to get to Montecito Shopping Center and Point...
The Marina Vista neighborhood will be dredging the privately-owned waterway known as the Marina Vista Canal. It is located near the San Rafael Canal, across from Pickleweed Park. For this work, a barge with dredging equipment will be stationed in the area with work to occur during the City’s standard construction hours. Seasonal restrictions for...
Last week, the residents of Professional Center Parkway finally reached their limit with speeding cars. A driver, speeding uphill, lost control, and damaged a building. The Traffic Division worked with the HOA to get radar speed feedback signs for both directions on Professional Center Parkway. In addition to the feedback signs, we are adding speed...
Paving operations will resume today, October 31, on Hoag Street. Canal Street is scheduled to be resurfaced from tomorrow, November 1 to Wednesday, November 6. Please make sure you observe all temporary parking restrictions during construction.
Paving operations are currently suspended due to the power outage. Operations may resume on Thursday, November 11. Updates will be posted on Nextdoor and the City's website.
PG&E nos ha notificado que a partir de las 6:00 am ha comenzado el proceso de revisar su infraestructura a lo largo del Condado de Marin esta mañana. Aunque tenemos la esperanza que restablezcan el suministro eléctrico en el condado de Marin lo más pronto posible, el proceso de inspeccionar las líneas eléctricas y reparar...
PG&E has notified us that they have started the process of inspecting their infrastructure throughout Marin County at 6:00am this morning. While we are hopeful that power will be restored in Marin County as soon as possible, the process of inspecting power lines and fixing any damage from the wind before re-energization takes time. In...
The City’s contractor, Ghilotti Bros., Inc., has placed over 2,700 tons of hot mix asphalt in the last month as part of the City’s CIP Street Resurfacing project. That’s almost 150 truckloads of asphalt! They are off to a great start with 5,500 tons left to pave this year. Next week, Ghilotti Bros. will grind...
In January 2017, the City of San Rafael experienced a significant storm event resulting in a landslide at 70 Irwin Street. This landslide affected the entire roadway of Irwin Street, resulting in its closure to the public in the spring of 2017 due to safety concerns. The City’s contractor, Valentine Corporation, was awarded with a...
The City of San Rafael and the County of Marin jurisdiction boundaries meet at the five-legged intersection of Highland Avenue/Deer Park Avenue/Summit Avenue up above Dominican University. It was a free-for-all; some approaches were yield-controlled, and others were free (uncontrolled). The City received inquiries from residents who wrote in requesting the Traffic Division look into...
This year’s Arbor Day event was held on October 22nd at Oleander Park in Terra Linda. This was the 37th annual event to maintain our “Tree City USA” membership. Many were in attendance, including service contractors, Community Services & Public Works staff, and members from the Town of Tiburon. Mark Wright honored the late Parks...
Save the date! Fire Station 57 is having its grand opening on Tuesday, November 19, 2019. Fire Station 57 joins Fire Station 52 as our newest Measure E funded safety facility. Passed by the voters of San Rafael in 2013, Measure E provides funding to upgrade and replace the City’s essential facilities. Construction commenced in...
Prepare Now Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) has notified the County of Marin that it may activate its Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) protocols in response to a high wind event and Red Flag Warning. At 7:30am this morning, PG&E said it could potentially initiate a planned power shutoff in parts of Marin County...
The City's contractors will begin resurfacing work tomorrow, 10/23 on Villa Ave. from Grand Ave. to the NB 101 onramp. Work will continue from 7 AM to 5 PM through Thursday and potentially into Friday. Both directions of travel will remain open during the construction hours, though crews will be directing one direction at a...
The City's contractor will be doing road work on Second Street at Shaver Street on the afternoon of Monday, October 21st. Road work on Third Street at Shaver Street will occur on the mornings of October 22nd and 23rd. Crews will be closing one lane at a time to repair the roadway surface. The work...
SMART will be testing pre-revenue operations in San Rafael this coming Saturday, October 19, 2019. The hours of operations are scheduled from approximately 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Operations will occur from the Larkspur station to Myrtle Avenue (near the south portal of the Puerto Suello Tunnel), including the 4th Street, 5th Avenue, and Mission...
