A new fence was installed this week around the North Francisco pump station. Prior to the fence being installed this area was became a gathering spot for IV drug users and homeless camps. The situation created a health and safety hazard for the public, as well as, the Department of Public Works and San Rafael...
The SMART Larkspur Extension construction work on the Francisco Blvd has been moving along steadily. West realignment and Phase-1 of the Multi-Use Path is starting to look like a street and a path. The Contractor has paved from the 2nd Street intersection to where the new Rice Drive intersection will be. It’s starting to look...
The City’s contractor M3 Integrated Services has been working on clearing and grubbing the future playground area. The contractor has begun demolition of the existing asphalt pathways and light standards. They are on schedule for a park dedication early next year.
The Grand Ave bridge project is underway with excavation for the new bridge abutments on both the north and south sides of the San Rafael Canal. The Contractor uncovered buried concrete associated with a retaining wall at the former Marin Motors site. The City’s retained structural engineer reviewed the issues and the contractor is now...
Vallecito Child Care has a new addition to their facility. Our team removed old shed that was rotten and beyond repair. We built a new pier foundation for tough shed to install the unit and we included the front deck entrance to the shed for easy and convenient access.
In response to community interest in LPI, staff used the results of the County-wide Systemic Safety Analysis Report (SSAR) to select initial potential locations. Selected intersections in the downtown area have higher-than-average collision rates - compared to the state-wide average for similar facilities. The addition of LPI’s will allow the pedestrian phase to activate sooner...
The City’s contractor Hillside Drilling has completed the cast in drilled hole (CIDH) concrete piles and they have set the tieback anchors for the retaining wall at Tarrant court. The contractor has started tying rebar for the inside of the retaining wall.
The City’s contractor Valentine Corporation has nearly completed the work in the backyards on Glenaire Drive and they have started working on the third retaining wall on the hillside. The City is building a series of four retaining walls to stabilize the hillside and protect Irwin street during future winter storm.
Fire Station #52 If you’ve driven by any of the Essential Facilities projects, you have seen the undeniable transformation that the City of San Rafael is going through. At Fire Station #52 the Training Tower, the Training Classroom and the Fire Station buildings are very close to completion. In the last few months, the contractor...
The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District (Golden Gate Transit) has started a multi-year process to develop a new transit center for San Rafael. The current transit center will be affected by the extension of Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) system to Larkspur. Several government agencies, including the City of San Rafael, are partnering to identify a new...
It’s that time of year when our Department of Public Works staff come out to clean the City’s storm drains and headwalls before the rainy season begins. This is the second year that our staff members are using a smartphone app to keep track of inspections completed and and drains cleaned. The app combines a...
TAKE THE SURVEY (survey closed) Caltrans San Rafael 101 NB Off-ramp Presentation Caltrans intends to rebuild the bridge that makes up the northbound 101 Central San Rafael highway off ramp. The reason for this work is that the existing structure is inadequate so the entire bridge will be replaced over a large part of...
As of 10/18/2018, Van Midde Concrete has sent out 170 proposals to participating property owners. That means all but 30 property owners in the program have now received their final proposals. Of those 170 proposals sent out, the City has received now 125 back signed from property owners. We are almost there! Once the signed...
The Grand Ave Pathway Connector project contractor, Valentine Corp., began work by performing exploratory field work on the former Marin Motors site at 750 Grand Ave. To our surprise, we located existing concrete and steel sheet piles buried under the asphalt in the location of the new bridge abutment. The design team is working hand...
Work is moving quickly at 70 Irwin; this week the City’s contractor Valentine Corporation started installing MSE block walls at the bottom of the hillside that was also the scene of a landslide during the winter of 2017. Installation of these two block walls marks the beginning of the long-awaited hillside restoration.
This week the City’s contractor Maggiora and Ghilotti finished installing a CIDH retaining wall and repaving the roadway at 80 Upper Toyon. This project was designed to support the roadway after a mudslide happened downhill of the road in the winter of 2017. FEMA and Cal-OES will reimburse the City the majority of the cost...
Fall has arrived and the North Bay had its first rainfall of the year earlier this month - with over a 1” of rain. Crews from the Street Division performed an emergency repair to the grates that protect large items from entering the storm water pump station located at 400 Canal Street. Within a four-hour...
On Saturday October 6th, the City of San Rafael Public Works participated in Star Academy’s Touch-A-Truck Day. Street Supervisors Chris Dowds and John Shindelus brought over two of the Street Divisions newest and biggest pieces of equipment. This event is a hands-on family event where children see and touch the trucks and meet the people...
The Department of Public Works will be installing new decorative “Tivoli” string lights on 4th St. between Shaver and F St. This project represents a collaboration with Economic Development, Public Works and the local business community, in a broader effort to promote Downtown and the West End, in time for the winter holidays! Please join...
As of 10/4/2018, a total of 99 property owners in San Rafael have sent in signed agreements for sidewalk construction in the City’s 2018 Sidewalk Repair Program. We expect at least 50-80 more will be sent in by the end of October. The 99 agreements so far represent the following in new sidewalk construction visible...
San Rafael Public Works is proud to announce that we've launched buildingeye, an interactive, user-friendly online map that allows constituents to easily look up roadway construction happening in San Rafael and allows those doing the construction to view the status of their permit online. The map is now live on the Public Works homepage at...
As part of a larger effort to reduce the City’s carbon footprint, the City recently completed converting 2,700 high pressure sodium (HPS) street lights citywide with more efficient light-emitting diode (LED). The LED lights, use dramatically less energy than the standard older, HPS lights, and are estimated to save the City $130,000 in energy costs...
PG&E Gas Transmission Line Several very large utility projects were initiated by PG&E within the City throughout the summer. The most visible PG&E project is located on Second Street, Lindaro Street, Andersen Drive, Irwin Street, Woodland Ave, Du Bois Street. PG&E is replacing a gas main from around A Street through the Bret Harte neighborhood....
The SMART Larkspur Extension construction work on the Francisco Blvd. West realignment and Phase-1 of the Multi-Use Path (from Rice Street to Andersen Drive) continues to move forward rapidly. The Contractor has nearly completed the curb & gutter and sidewalk installation and will be paving the new Francisco Blvd West within a few weeks. And,...
**We are currently not accepting applications to paint utility boxes but will re-evaluate as budgeting and policy changes. Please check back here for any future updates.** Public Works has been working in collaboration with Economic Development to pilot the City’s first ever Utility Box Art Program. The program will have a dual purpose of 1)...
On Tuesday, September 18th, the City’s contractor, Ghilotti Bros., resurfaced G Street between Fourth Street and Mission Avenue. Prior to resurfacing, new concrete wheelchair ramps and a drainage system were installed. The work has progressed quickly over the past month and will be done by the end of September.
Weekend Striping! On Sunday, September 23, the Department of Public Works will be center striping, or re-painting the center road markings, through Downtown San Rafael. Staff will be using a water-based paint to do the job. It’s environmentally responsible, paint remains flexible and withstands movement, it’s fast drying (10-15 minutes!), and it comes in many...
This week, Streets Maintenance Crews added some safety aspects to the Puerto Suello bike path heading southbound on the bike path and coming up the Linden lane tunnel/stairway. Delineators were added to guide bicyclists coming down the hill away from the stairway and approaching pedestrians, as well as, a bright PEDESTRIAN sign to the left....
Last year, City Council supported a 6-month study to evaluate existing East San Rafael parking conditions and better prepare parking solutions the City could implement. The City is first pursuing a short-term strategy of implementing time-limited parking. Following the estimated sign installation timeline, the Department of Public Works Maintenance crews have been hard at work...
On Monday night’s Council Meeting DPW’s own Senior Civil Engineer Hunter Young was recognized as San Rafael’s 2018 Employee of the Second Quarter. From managing the complex $3.5 million Freitas Las Gallinas Intersection Improvements project, to Grand Avenue Pedestrian Bridge to coordinating all things SMART in San Rafael – including rail crossings downtown and...
