Update from Kate - Tam Junction Enhancements Soon To Be Completed

 

Update from Kate

Tam Junction Enhancements Soon To Be Completed

 

Thanks to the entire Southern Marin community for your patience and fortitude during this unexpectedly prolonged construction project. It has had to weather a number of unexpected delays and challenges. The end is in sight. The project is expected to be completed in early April.

 

Painting of bike lanes (from Coyote Creek to Helen’s Lane and from Helen to Gibson) took place over the weekend.  Due to expected rain, final painting of "sharrows" and merge lanes may be delayed a bit more. Painting to re-establish permanent traffic lanes had to wait pending the painting of bike lanes. What's in the plan is mostly done and looks good!

 

Punch list items include replacing signage and addressing drainage (longstanding ponding of water at this location is challenging due to site conditions), especially adjacent to the driveway accessing the Subway, River of Light and other local-serving businesses.

 

Caltrans will be undertaking the sidewalk improvements from just west of Coyote Creek Bridge where the sidewalk begins to the Shoreline/Flamingo/Gibson intersection. That project is scheduled to take place in 2020. To comply with ADA, Caltrans will also raise the traffic signal at Manzanita helping to lift sensitive signal timing electronics out of reach of current flooding.

 

If you have further questions about this project, please contact Dan Cherrier at the Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM) at dcherrier@tam.ca.gov.

 

Background:

 

For over a dozen years, Tam Valley and Almonte residents have desired improvements to Shoreline Highway, a State owned and operated roadway, which Caltrans maintains. With miles of its own County roadways to maintain, the County of Marin does not pay for improvements to the State highway system. Yet, an opportunity presented itself here. Due to required ADA improvements at the Tam Junction intersection, Caltrans was moving ahead to make only those changes, not the long-advocated bike/ped enhancements requested by the community.

 

Due to tireless advocacy by local residents, Safe Routes to School, Transportation Alternatives for Marin and Supervisor Kate Sears’ office, the Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM) board of countywide elected representatives approved funding in 2015 for targeted, much needed bike lanes, painting, striping, signage and sidewalk improvements from the near end of the Coyote Creek Bridge to the traffic light at Shoreline/Gibson/Flamingo intersection. As a result, bike lanes and other ancillary improvements are being completed now.

 

These targeted infrastructure improvements go a long way toward bridging identified gaps in connectivity in Tam Junction  --  a heavily -used crossroads for motorists, cyclists, school students, transit riders and members of the local, Tam Junction workforce in the retail stores, shops, restaurants, service stations, dance and ceramic studios.

 

We extend thanks and gratitude to our leaders, both elected and community, public agency directors and staff, construction contractors and community members for coming together to support this project. Ideas for a community celebration are gratefully received by sending your thoughts to Molly Graham at mgraham@tam.ca.gov with a copy to Maureen Parton at mparton@marincounty.org.

 

Finally, to stay informed of things happening in your area, please sign up here for my news and information updates. To write me, send your message to ksears@marincounty.org.