Safety project for biking, walking
The busy Gate 6 Road and Bridgeway intersection in Sausalito is slated for a $1.4 million remodel in January to provide safer passage for cyclists and pedestrians.
Kevin McGowan, the city’s public works director, said the project will add a new bicycle and curb ramp, a diagonal green bicycle lane and a stop light signal on both corners dedicated for cyclists.
“Improvements will include replacing the signal controller and the installation of a bicycle dedicated phase for allowing cyclists
to move onto Bridgeway heading southbound,” McGowan said. “Work should start in this area just after the start of the new year.”
In its current state, the intersection is not suited for cyclists traveling south from the multiuse path that connects Sausalito with Mill Valley, said Mark Thomas, general manager of the Mike’s Bikes store at the intersection.
Thomas, who has biked through the intersection countless times over 20 years, said there have been many accidents and that a remodel of the popular bike path is long overdue.
“It is dangerous,” he said.
“They’ve been talking about improving it for years, and I’ll believe it when I see it. But I know there are official things in motion. It’s such a sore thumb you’d think someone would have done something about it by now.”
Before construction can start, the California Department of Transportation must submit its encroachment permit to the contractor, Ghilotti Construction, McGowan said.
The city hired Park Engineering Inc. to manage the project.
“The permit is required as one of the corners of the intersection is on Caltrans’ right of way and some of the other work will re
quire lane closures reducing the northbound 101 onramp width,” said Steve Patterson, vice president of Park Engineering.
If weather cooperates and permits are approved, the anticipated start is the week of Jan. 18. Patterson hopes to have work completed by summer.
“The basic plan is to demolish and rebuild the three existing curb ramps, which is anticipated to take three to four weeks,” he said. “The final detail of the project is an intersection grind and overlay, and an upgrade to the traffic signal.”
“We have to perform the intersection grind and pave at night, so we must wait until about April for some not- so- cold nights,” he said. “This temporary suspension will also allow for the arrival of the new signal poles and hardware, which typically take about 12 weeks to procure. … The restart in April will be for another four weeks worth of work.”
McGowan said traffic at the intersection will be impacted during construction.
“Construction on this particular corner can be tricky in that having cyclists and pedestrians bypass the corners may be a little difficult at first,” he said. “Our intent is to try to get the construction done on the corners as soon as possible in the non-busy bike season.”
The roots of the project date to 2007 when Charles McGlashan, the former county supervisor, urged that the intersection be remodeled as part of the regional north- south greenway, according to the city staff report.
The city took over managing the project, developed a preliminary design and performed an environmental review. After about 11 years of planning and tweaking the design to mesh with other capital improvements, work was supposed to begin in 2018.
The start date, however, was suspended because the city could not find the funding. A federal grant awarded through the Transportation Authority of Marin now allows the city to move forward with the project.
Funding for the project comes from a variety of sources. They include $644,659 in federal funding from the Transportation Fund for Clean Air; $100,000 from the Transportation Authority of Marin; $53,526 from the county; $88,500 from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission; and $250,000 from the commission’s One Bay Area grant program. The city is on the hook for $395,000.
On Oct. 13, the City Council approved the construction contract to Ghilotti Construction for $808,157 and the management contract to Park Engineering for $108,984.
At the Pedestrian Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting on Nov. 11, some members said more needs to be done to improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians.
Committee member Regan Fulton said infrastructure improvements are needed. But after experiencing a few near misses and seeing other cyclists get hit by cars, he said educating the public and implementing strict enforcement are also critical elements to improve safety.