The Marin County Department of Public Works (DPW) recently completed five projects to improve sections of roadway across unincorporated areas of Marin. The projects resurfaced a total of 19.6 miles of road and carried a total cost of approximately $6.5 million, about 22% of which was covered by grant funding.
Three projects addressed deteriorated road segments by either reconstructing the pavement or removing the damaged sections and sealing the surface with rubberized chip sealant, followed by a fresh layer of pavement.
- 2.6 miles of Wilson Hill Road from Hicks Valley Road to Chileno Valley Road, for a total of almost $1.8 million.
- 1.2 miles of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, from Chicken Ranch Beach to Pierce Point Road, just north of Inverness, at the cost of about $1.2 million.
- One mile of road in Los Ranchitos near Terra Linda for approximately $1.2 million.
The two other projects entailed repairing and resealing the pavement, thereby improving the overall condition and extending the lifecycle of the roadway. This type of treatment can only be conducted on roadways that have not deteriorated to a point of needing rehabilitation or full reconstruction work.
- Improved 3.5 miles of residential roads in Lucas Valley, Tamalpais, Green Point, and Santa Venetia. The cost was about $500,000.
- Targeted 11.3 miles of road segments in Inverness, Woodacre, Strawberry, Nicasio, and San Rafael, for a total cost of approximately $1.8 million.
Three of the projects are expected to receive a total of $250,000 in grant funding from CalRecycle for taking an eco-friendly approach that used recycled rubber from old tires in the intermediate level’s sealant material. The Wilson Hill Road project benefits the local agricultural economy in West Marin by providing better access to markets and processing facilities in eastern Marin and Sonoma counties. Because of that, the project garnered a $1.18 million grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
The County of Marin’s road network is one of the agency’s largest assets with an estimated replacement value of $709 million, according to the 2024 Pavement Management Technical Assistance Program Report. Over the years, DPW has continually increased the County’s average Pavement Condition Index (PCI), a standardized method for rating road quality. Improvements and ongoing maintenance of the road network is a top priority for the Marin County Board of Supervisors and a major responsibility for DPW, one which requires significant planning and funding to undertake.
The County’s Pavement Management Program is a hybrid strategy of pavement preservation, pavement rehabilitation, and road reconstruction projects, seeking to address road improvements in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible. DPW’s recently announced five-year plan represents an approximately $87 million proposed investment toward about 200 miles of County-maintained roads. Moving forward, it is likely that more investment will be required to stay ahead of expected rate of road deterioration in Marin while continuing to increase the overall PCI score.
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