Sonoma County nears completion of 51 miles of resurfacing projects

The County of Sonoma Department of Transportation and Public Works (TPW) is nearing completion of its summer 2020 construction schedule, including the resurfacing of 51 miles of roadway in unincorporated Sonoma County.

The 2020 schedule surpasses the number of miles repaved in both 2018 (45.80 miles) and 2019 (47.35 miles), according to the TPW. In addition to road resurfacing, there are two county bridge replacements underway to meet seismic requirements, including Wohler Road bridge in Forestville and the Boyes Boulevard bridge in Sonoma.

“During this time of year, Sonoma County residents are used to seeing our work crews on road construction sites throughout the county. It is always gratifying when we can see the result and benefit of that labor and investment,” said 1st District Supervisor Susan Gorin, in a press release on the status of the the road repaving projects. “As the 2020 season comes to a close, we can check another 51 miles off the list. And with dozens of other infrastructure projects underway, I want to applaud our hard-working team members out there getting it done for Sonoma County residents.”

Sonoma County’s 1,369 miles of roads and 328 bridges is the largest road network in the San Francisco Bay Area. The selection process for road projects is based on a two-year budget cycle and takes multiple criteria into consideration, including pavement condition, type and amount of usage, design characteristics, and geographic location within the county.

Because state gas tax 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, according to county documents.

From 2013 to 2019, the Board of Supervisors committed $93 million to resurface 382 miles of roads. The Pavement Preservation Program budget for 2020 and 2021 is approximately $37 million. The total cost of all road and infrastructure improvement projects during the summer 2020 construction season is approximately $50 million.

Residents can submit their road for consideration by calling 565-2231 or emailing TPW@Sonoma-County.org.

To view a map and list of current and future repaving projects in 2020 and 2021, visit sonomacounty.ca.gov.

For more information about how roads are selected for paving, visit sonomacounty.ca.gov.

Non-emergency road concerns and service requests may be submitted and tracked via the SoCo Report It mobile app or online at sonomacounty.ca.gov/Services/SoCo-Report-It/Submit-a-Service-Request.

The public can view a road closures map and sign up for traffic impact alerts at roadclosures-sonomacounty.hub.arcgis.com/.