Department of Transportation and Public Works caps 2021 with extensive road paving, fire fuel reduction and major storm repairs

As 2022 gets underway, the County of Sonoma Department of Transportation and Public Works today announced a final tally of results from the 2021 construction season, including 21 miles of repaved county roadway for a combined total of 51 miles over the two-year Pavement Preservation Program. 

Other accomplishments in 2021 include the replacement of 44 culverts and 971 road signs; permanent repairs of seven storm damaged sites due to landslides; two viaduct repair and replacement projects; guardrail replacement in the Glass Fire burn area; completion of the Boyes Boulevard bridge replacement; and continued work on the Wohler Bridge replacement over Mark West Creek.    

“As we look back on these results and ahead to 2022, I want to thank our hard-working team members out there getting it done for Sonoma County residents,” said Supervisor James Gore, Chair of the Board of Supervisors. “Road maintenance and capital improvements, including large-scale paving and sealing projects, drainage improvements, upgrades to street signs and striping, and vegetation removal are all part of a proactive approach to addressing the priorities of our residents through Sonoma County’s Five-Year Strategic Plan for resilient infrastructure.” 

In addition to road construction and maintenance projects in 2021, the Department completed fire fuel reduction along nearly 62 miles of county-maintained roads, clearing hazardous vegetation within four feet of the edge of public roadways and 15 feet above roads within the public right-of-way. The program is designed to reduce risks related to future wildfires by removing vegetation identified as hazards to firefighters and the public, in the interest of safe and smooth evacuations during an emergency. 

Sonoma County uses a combination of corrective maintenance and pavement preservation to take care of 1,368 miles of roads and 328 bridges, which is the largest road network in the San Francisco Bay Area. Because state gas tax (SB1) funding for roads is distributed based on the number of vehicle registrations rather than the number of road miles, rural counties receive disproportionately less road funding. Other funding sources for county road repairs include the Measure L transient occupancy tax and Measure M sales tax.  

Between 2012 and 2021, 412 miles of roads were repaved at a cost of $128.8 million, representing 30 percent of the county-maintained road system. An additional 43 miles is planned for repaving in 2022 and 2023 at a proposed budget of $40.5 million, including a combination of county General Funds and PG&E settlement funds. 

More information related to funding sources for the Department of Transportation and Public Works is available here:
https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/TPW/Funding-Sources/

For more information regarding current county road projects, please visit:
https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/TPW/Current-Road-Projects/

Current road closures and restrictions may be accessed here:
https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/TPW/Roads/Projects/Current-Road-Work/  

For general information about the Department of Transportation and Public Works, please contact (707) 565-2550 or spi@sonoma-county.org.