Marin road safety projects get $7.5M from state

The California Transportation Commission funding will support upgrades on Tiburon Boulevard and on Highway 1 in Tomales.

The California Transportation Commission has allocated $7.5 million for road improvement work in Marin County.

The commission announced the funding last week as part of a $930 million, four-year investment plan across the state.

A plan to repair and upgrade Tiburon Boulevard from the Highway 101 interchange to Main Street in Tiburon is getting a $4.4 million infusion.

The commission also approved $1.7 million to support the construction of a retaining wall against the hill on the north side of Tiburon Boulevard east of Trestle Glen Boulevard, and $1.4 million for road repair on Highway 1 near Tomales. Caltrans is leading the projects.

The largest project of the bunch is a $23 million effort to improve Tiburon Boulevard with bicycle lanes and pedestrian upgrades. The project is expected to be completed in three segments beginning in January 2026 and lasting about a year.

“The purpose of this project is to preserve and extend the life of the existing pavement,” said Matt O’Donnell, a Caltrans spokesperson.

The project also aims to improve ride quality and support active modes of transportation such as biking, he said.

The plan calls for upgrading or replacing guardrails, road signs and drainage and electrical systems. It also includes upgrading curbside ramps to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, repaving roads and adding bike lanes.

The western segment of the project, from Tower Drive in Mill Valley to Reed Ranch Road in Tiburon, includes changes to two intersections. At East Strawberry Drive, the right turn lane onto eastbound Tiburon Boulevard would be removed and the existing bus stop on Tiburon Boulevard would be relocated.

Class IV bikeways would be added along Tiburon Boulevard from approximately 1,000 feet west of the freeway to Trestle Glen Boulevard. A class I bikeway at East Strawberry Drive to Greenwood Cove Drive is also planned.

The central section of the project, spanning from Reed Ranch Road to San Rafael Avenue, includes adding a class IV bike lane from Reed Ranch Road to Trestle Glen Boulevard. The Avenida Miraflores and Tiburon Boulevard intersection would be altered to remove the right turn lane from westbound Tiburon Boulevard onto northbound Avenida Miraflores.

The eastern section, from San Rafael Avenue to the intersection of Tiburon Boulevard and Main Street, includes a curb extension at the Mar West Street intersection. It also would add yield lines to the Ned’s Way and Tiburon Boulevard intersection.

Earlier this year, the Belvedere City Council questioned the need for bike lanes on Tiburon Boulevard. Members expressed concerns about traffic congestion and safety issues with adding three bike lanes to the road and voted unanimously to submit a letter to Caltrans conveying their apprehensions.

Warren Wells, policy and planning director for the Marin County Bicycle Coalition, said the project is in part a result of requests from the Safe Routes to Schools group.

“It serves to improve the east-west connectivity in the Tiburon Peninsula,” he said.

While there is already a multiuse path from downtown Tiburon to Blackie’s Pasture, the area lacks connectivity to Strawberry and across Highway 101, he said. Now there will be a direct connection to improvements on East Blithedale Avenue recently completed by Mill Valley, he said.

Additionally, he said, no vehicle travel lanes will be removed as part of the plan.

“I think residents of Tiburon are very supportive of the much needed and long awaited Caltrans 131 improvements project,” Vice Mayor Holli Thier said. “I believe adding bike lanes to Tiburon Boulevard will improve safety for everyone.”

The retaining wall project on Tiburon Boulevard is estimated to cost $6 million. The project, expected to begin in April 2026 with construction lasting about a year, will also stabilize the road.

“This is a great project that will stabilize that portion of State Route 131 that is experiencing subsidence,” said David Eshoo, engineering manager for Tiburon.

Additionally, a project on coastal Highway 1 near Hamlet, a couple of miles south of Tomales-Petaluma Road, is getting a $1.4 million allocation from the state. The project will repair a road slipout and embankment and install a retaining wall.

The allocations from the California Transportation Commission include nearly $375 million from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 and $276 million from Senate Bill 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act.

“The future of transportation relies on offering increased options for everybody, including better paths for walking and infrastructure for biking,” Caltrans Director Tony Tavares said. “These investments will help us build a California that fits every traveler, including those on foot, on bicycles, and on other personal mobility devices.”