What roads around Sonoma will be getting repaired?

Denmark Street, East Watmaugh Road and Eighth Street East are a few of the roadways around the city of Sonoma that will be getting enhancements, thanks to a May 10 vote of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors.

The board was making plans for its share of a 2017 state infrastructure bill signed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown known as SB1, meant to “contributes to the design, construction, management and equipment required for basic road maintenance, rehabilitation and critical safety needs that improve and extend the useful life of the county road system.”

The county received $13 million in SB1 funding for road improvements in 2022-23, said Janice Thompson, the deputy director of engineering and maintenance at the Department of Transportation and Public Works in Sonoma County. Half of these funds will go toward the county’s paving projects and the other half will fund road maintenance.

In addition, money from the legal settlement with PG&E following the 2017 fires will double the amount of funds spent this year on the county’s paving program to $35 million (including SB1 dollars), Thompson said.

County roads in the flood-prone parts of the Valley are set to get culverts, or water drainage pipes, which help slow the dilapidation of asphalt. While the lifespan of asphalt varies, a well-maintained road can last 25-30 years.

“Some areas are very wet, some are very dry. It depends on what the drainage is doing to the road,” Thompson said. “We're just including drainage improvements to ensure the longevity of the road. And if they're not done, it does shorten the life of the road.”

Roads can fall into disrepair for a litany of reasons, but heavy traffic usage and water damage are some of the main drivers of dilapidated roads, Thompson said. First District Supervisor Susan Gorin added that drainage is sometimes more important than paving because it fortifies the longevity of asphalt.

“They have inadequate drainage and so the water runoff destroys the fabric of the asphalt and degrades it,” Gorin said.

SB1 Board of Supervisors Resolution.pdf

As to the dollars yet to be allocated, Gorin asked the public to work with local bodies like the Springs and North Sonoma Valley Municipal Advisory Councils to provide more information about which roads are most in need of repair.

“Most of the work the Sonoma Valley roads seem to be culvert repair, and drainage improvement in anticipation of repaving over the next couple of years,” Gorin said. “I'm asking for volunteers for the MACs to help us prioritize roads for repaving on the next two year paving schedule.”

Contact Chase Hunter at chase.hunter@sonomanews.com and follow @Chase_HunterB on Twitter.