The design for the Third Street Rehabilitation and Third Street Safety projects are moving into the final stage. Construction is anticipated on both projects to begin in the Summer 2021. The City is hosting a virtual public meeting for the Third Street Corridor Projects to discuss the construction process and impacts to the community. This...
After a long delay, the traffic signal cabinet and controller have finally arrived at the Public Works corp yard. The consultant has begun the process of assembling the new cabinet and controller this week. It must run in the shop for a several days to make sure it is functioning property before we send it...
Without a system of well-maintained streets, vehicles have a tough time getting through the City. The Streets Division staff has been busy performing various road repairs throughout the City. This includes pothole filling and larger skim patches. Streets staff frequently use a variety of equipment for these repairs including compressors, jack hammers, backhoes, and our...
The last couple of weeks have proven to be very busy for the Parks Division in support of the Sidewalk Repair Program. They began the tree planting process as well as doing vegetation cleanups along the roadside and medians in the Terra Linda area. They have also been busy assisting CalTrans in the weekly cleanup...
Recent rain and windstorms brought some trees and tree limbs down throughout the City. Fortunately, none of the falling limbs caused any serious damage or harm. DPW staff as well as on call contractors are always ready to respond when these events happen. In the photo you will see Streets Division and Parks Division crew...
The Sidewalk Repair Program continues to be one of Public Works’ most popular programs when it comes to resident participation. Since the program first began accepting applications for the program in 2018, more than 500 properties in San Rafael have signed up to have their sidewalk replaced through it. While neighborhoods have been thrilled at...
This week the contractor moved onto the final two phases of the Francisco Blvd East Sidewalk project. The traffic control barriers have been shifted to begin the replacement of sidewalk between Yacht Club and the Grand Avenue Bridge. During the final phase, there may be the need for night work. Construction is still anticipated to...
Last week Public Works welcomed the newest addition to the Engineering team: Associate Civil Engineer Matt Pepin. Matt came to us with nearly a decade of experience as a Project Engineer at Langan, a San Francisco-based engineering firm. During his time at Langan, Matt worked on major developments in San Francisco such as the Chase...
Downtown San Rafael gets a lot of attention from the Traffic division, for good reason. It is our most congested area within City limits, carries the highest volume of vehicles, sees the most pedestrian activity, and is home to a very busy transit center. With the installation of video detection in Central San Rafael, the...
Beginning this evening, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will begin the first of three 55-hour weekend closures for the NB 101 Central San Rafael Off-Ramp Bridge Replacement project. The first closure will start tonight, Friday, March 19 at 10:00 pm and reopen on Monday, March 22 at 5:00 am. Detours will be in place....
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will begin the first of three 55-hour weekend closures for the 101 NB Central San Rafael Off-Ramp Bridge Replacement project. The first closure will start on Friday, March 19 at 10:00 pm and reopen on Monday, March 22 at 5:00 am. Detours will be in place; please see familiarize yourself ...
While Marin County remains in the Red Tier 2 for another week, the State of California confirmed Marin has met the Orange -level criteria for seven of the required 14 days. If we maintain this progress we can expect to move into the Orange Tier 3 on Tuesday, March 23 (effective March 24). In Dr. Matt Willis’ weekly video update to the Marin County Board of Supervisors, the County’s Public Health Officer reviewed current COVID-19...
On January 28, 2021, the City of San Rafael issued a pre-qualification questionnaire for the Fire Station 54 & 55 construction project to pre-qualify contractors that can bid on the project. Submissions were due on February 16, 2021. The following is a list of the contractors who have pre-qualified for this project (listed in alphabetical...
On the March 15th City Council meeting, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) presented an informational report on the 101 NB Central San Rafael Off-Ramp Bridge Replacement project. This is a major improvement project that requires heavy construction and will cause disruption to residents and businesses. Special thanks to Caltrans Regional Project Manager, Wajahat Nyaz,...
View the recruitment flyer This job assists in the development and management of public works construction projects or programs through every phase, including mapping, drafting, reporting and field inspection. We are seeking a candidate who is up to the challenge of working in a dynamic department. This job will require creative problem-solving, community engagement, and...
Spotlight Photo Staff and volunteers from the SF/Marin Food Bank are cheerful in the rain during the weekly food distribution site at Pickleweed Park. There are currently at least 10 weekly food distribution sites throughout the City of San Rafael serving an average of about 3,000 households a week. Photo Credit: Jill Tokutomi Last Quiz Question Shout out to William Little for being the first...
Throughout California, there is only shelter capacity for approximately 30% of people experiencing homelessness. This same ratio holds in Marin. One of the most visible manifestations of unsheltered homelessness is encampments. According to the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, encampments: May be a core group of people who are known to one another...
Marin County remains in Tier 2 (red status) for its third week. In order for us to advance to Tier 3 (orange status) we must meet all criteria for Tier 3 for two consecutive weeks before advancing. Marin's current numbers on the data dashboard reflect the daily changes in three metrics: Cases reported per day: 4.2 Countywide test positivity: 1.5% Test positivity in the...
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will begin the first of three 55-hour weekend closures for the 101 NB Central San Rafael Off-Ramp Bridge Replacement project. The first closure will start on Friday, March 19 at 10:00 PM and reopen on Monday, March 22 at 5:00 AM. Detours will be in place; please see the...
Dining Under the Lights is returning to downtown San Rafael every Thursday and Friday night beginning Thursday March 11! Launched in summer 2020 in partnership with the Downtown Business Improvement District, the City's Dining Under the Lights program was a direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic to support our downtown restaurants and bars by enabling...
After careful considerations on this specific topic, the City and consultant Haley & Aldrich have developed an approach for apportioning the cost of Umbrella Permitting among participating waterfront Channel property owners. There are two costs which will need to be apportioned as a part of the umbrella private dock/marina dredging process (i.e. all dredging that occurs outside the federal...
Congratulations to the Department of Public Works (DPW) for winning an American Public Works Association (APWA) award for the Public Safety Center. DPW took this award home for the Northern California Small Cities and Rural Communities Award under the Structures category. APWA is an international professional association of public works agencies. This awards ceremony was...
The design for the Third Street Rehabilitation and Third Street Safety projects are wrapping up. Construction is anticipated on both projects to begin in the Summer 2021. The City will be hosting a virtual public meeting for the Third Street Corridor Rehabilitation & Safety Projects on March 24th from 6-7:30pm. This meeting will provide a...
Early this week, one of the buildings on the upper City Hall Parking Lot, which used to serve as the office for the temporary Station 51, was removed. The removal of this building took contributions from various City departments. For example, Parking Services and Public Works Streets assisted with blocking off the necessary parking spaces...
On the March 15th City Council Meeting, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will be providing an informational report on the 101 NB Central San Rafael Off-Ramp Bridge Replacement project. In 1941, the bridge structure at the 101 NB Central San Rafael off-ramp was built and is now no longer seismically safe. Caltrans plans to...
The City of San Rafael’s annual street resurfacing program has seen a significant loss in revenue throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. The City’s streets are maintained with gas tax revenue and with the large drop in gas sales statewide, the City’s gas tax revenue has also proportionately dropped. Even with this dramatic drop in revenue, the...
After almost 11 weeks, the old timbre bridge has been totally removed and work has begun on the foundation of the new concrete bridge. The last couple of weeks have been spent drilling the six holes where the concrete CIDH (cast-in-drilled-hole) piles will be constructed. These piles will support the bridge columns and abutments. Some...
The Vehicle Maintenance Division has been keeping busy with the regular maintenance of City vehicles. The Vehicle maintenance division usually keeps about 15-20 extra patrol car tires on hand as these are replaced frequently and if any minor defect are found. Supervisor Gerardo Paredes is also in the process of sending some vehicles that are...
Parks Division staff have taken advantage of the nice weather to get a head start on landscaping and other maintenance needs. They’ve been busy with the pruning and cleanup of the entrance median in Terra Linda, weed eating in various locations, hedging of shrubs, and pruning of roses bushes. Here you will see Alex Nacaspaca,...
treets Division staff repaired an area of concern located at the intersection of Manuel T. Freitas and Redwood Hwy this past week. A tree root was causing major uplifting of the roadway, curb, and gutter area. Early one morning, crews with the Streets Division began work to remove the damaged roadway and large root ball. ...