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Regional Boards => Pacific Southwest => Topic started by: jeffe on April 06, 2016, 12:27:18 AM

Title: 101 Marin-Sonoma Freeway Conversion
Post by: jeffe on April 06, 2016, 12:27:18 AM
Work has started on the final segment of converting US-101 from an expressway to a freeway between Marin and Sonoma counties.  The roadway will be realigned at the county line to improve the curve and create space on the east side of the freeway for a frontage road.  The existing northbound lanes will become this frontage road.

The intersections at Kastania Road and San Antonio Road will be closed permanently on April 4 and April 11, respectively.  Access will then be rerouted to the frontage roads.

More information on the project here: http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist4/101msnb3sanantonio/ (http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist4/101msnb3sanantonio/)
Title: Re: 101 Marin-Sonoma Freeway Conversion
Post by: kkt on April 06, 2016, 04:33:30 PM
Wow, it's the end of an era.  On the other hand, I'm amazed this wasn't done about 50 years ago.
Title: Re: 101 Marin-Sonoma Freeway Conversion
Post by: nexus73 on April 06, 2016, 09:48:04 PM
Quote from: kkt on April 06, 2016, 04:33:30 PM
Wow, it's the end of an era.  On the other hand, I'm amazed this wasn't done about 50 years ago.


Exactamundo.  Caltrans has a clock.  It's in a barrel of molasses....LOL!

Rick
Title: Re: 101 Marin-Sonoma Freeway Conversion
Post by: Tarkus on April 06, 2016, 11:00:52 PM
Quote from: nexus73 on April 06, 2016, 09:48:04 PM
Exactamundo.  Caltrans has a clock.  It's in a barrel of molasses....LOL!

That's still better than ODOT.  They lost theirs in 1970 when they dropped it in a whale.  Yes, that whale.
Title: Re: 101 Marin-Sonoma Freeway Conversion
Post by: nexus73 on April 07, 2016, 12:20:50 PM
Quote from: Tarkus on April 06, 2016, 11:00:52 PM
Quote from: nexus73 on April 06, 2016, 09:48:04 PM
Exactamundo.  Caltrans has a clock.  It's in a barrel of molasses....LOL!

That's still better than ODOT.  They lost theirs in 1970 when they dropped it in a whale.  Yes, that whale.

So true.  Then the whale got blown up...LOL!

Rick
Title: Re: 101 Marin-Sonoma Freeway Conversion
Post by: coatimundi on April 07, 2016, 02:20:38 PM
Quote
but will be striped as a four-lane facility at completion
:angry:

So all that construction for no relief for the bottleneck between the two wider sections (once the Petaluma section is completed) that causes daily congestion. It's not the crossovers that's causing that.
Title: Re: 101 Marin-Sonoma Freeway Conversion
Post by: oscar on April 07, 2016, 02:42:56 PM
Quote from: coatimundi on April 07, 2016, 02:20:38 PM
Quote
but will be striped as a four-lane facility at completion
:angry:

So all that construction for no relief for the bottleneck between the two wider sections (once the Petaluma section is completed) that causes daily congestion. It's not the crossovers that's causing that.

The plan is to build a six-lane facility, but with two of those lanes reserved for future HOV use. Opening the HOV lanes should have some de-bottlenecking benefits, especially for but not limited to carpoolers.
Title: Re: 101 Marin-Sonoma Freeway Conversion
Post by: coatimundi on April 07, 2016, 04:57:49 PM
Quote from: oscar on April 07, 2016, 02:42:56 PM
The plan is to build a six-lane facility, but with two of those lanes reserved for future HOV use. Opening the HOV lanes should have some de-bottlenecking benefits, especially for but not limited to carpoolers.

The rest of that sentence:
Quote
The new roadway and bridge will be constructed to accommodate future high-occupancy vehicle lanes but will be striped as a four-lane facility at completion.

So I read that as saying it will not have said HOVs upon completion, but will instead feature the potential for them. Or am I reading it wrong?
It just seems silly to rebuild it to simply remove crossovers but not actually add capacity where additional capacity is needed. Why not just open that HOV lane when the project is completed, so there's not more delays when they actually decide to do it? Restriping it will cost a lot because it's a new project. Initially striping for 4 + 1 HOV will not add anything to the project except a bit of paint.
Title: Re: 101 Marin-Sonoma Freeway Conversion
Post by: myosh_tino on April 07, 2016, 05:55:56 PM
Quote from: coatimundi on April 07, 2016, 04:57:49 PM
So I read that as saying it will not have said HOVs upon completion, but will instead feature the potential for them. Or am I reading it wrong?
It just seems silly to rebuild it to simply remove crossovers but not actually add capacity where additional capacity is needed. Why not just open that HOV lane when the project is completed, so there's not more delays when they actually decide to do it? Restriping it will cost a lot because it's a new project. Initially striping for 4 + 1 HOV will not add anything to the project except a bit of paint.

Opening that third lane now as a general purpose lane and then converting it to an HOV lane in the future simply will not happen.  As I understand it, Caltrans has a policy against converting general purpose lanes into HOV lanes.

When the I-880 overcrossing over Brokaw Road in San Jose was replaced, it was built to accommodate 8 lanes even though the freeway was only being widened to 6 lanes.  The reason for this was because there were plans to add an HOV lane in each direction in the future.  HOV lanes were added about 5 years later.
Title: Re: 101 Marin-Sonoma Freeway Conversion
Post by: coatimundi on April 07, 2016, 07:22:50 PM
Not looking for general purpose instead of HOV. It's just that the corridor is backed up every day, and it always starts right there. Adding an HOV would help immensely, I think.
I mean, they over-build all the time to accommodate future capacity. I understand that. But the capacity they're building for is already there, if not exceeded.
Title: Re: 101 Marin-Sonoma Freeway Conversion
Post by: jeffe on April 08, 2016, 03:07:48 AM
Quote from: coatimundi on April 07, 2016, 07:22:50 PM
Not looking for general purpose instead of HOV. It's just that the corridor is backed up every day, and it always starts right there.

Yes, that is a good point.  However, the plans show that the roadway will be striped as two lanes each way with a large inside shoulder.
Pavement Delineation Plans, Sheet 494 (http://dot.ca.gov/hq/esc/oe/project_ads_addenda/04/04-264094/plans/04-264094_plans_pgs%20401-500.pdf)

Perhaps the reason for this is that the paved median will only extend from San Antonio Road to just south of the gas station at Kastania Road, a distance of less than 2 miles.  (See the map below).  North and south of this there will only be a dirt median with 5 foot inside shoulders.   

As for widening the median north and south of here, those are part of phase 2 of the Marin Sonoma Narrows:

Quote
Sonoma Segment B Median Widening Contract (Phase 2)

Construct HOV lanes from the County Line to the new Petaluma Boulevard South Interchange
Sonoma Median Widening Schedule / Status — Design is fully funded and started in August 2013. No right-of-way is needed, and the project could be ready for construction in 2015, pending funding. SCTA is seeking funding opportunities for construction.

Marin Segment B Median Widening Contract (Phase 2)

Construct HOV lanes from Segment A to the County
Marin Segment B Median Widening Schedule / Status — This project has no funding at this time. Caltrans and TAM are seeking funding opportunities.

Source: http://scta.ca.gov/measure-m/highway-101/highway-101-4-marin-sonoma-narrows/ (http://scta.ca.gov/measure-m/highway-101/highway-101-4-marin-sonoma-narrows/)

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fscta.wpengine.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F01%2FMSN-Narrows.jpg&hash=36281a7be426cf64c188924011ecac1f9dbf5c27)
Title: Re: 101 Marin-Sonoma Freeway Conversion
Post by: andy3175 on July 15, 2016, 12:44:46 AM
Update ... ground broke for the US 101 $735M Narrows project on July 6, 2016, with completion expected in mid to late 2019.

http://abc7news.com/traffic/caltrans-breaks-ground-on-novato-narrows-project-on-highway-101/1416564/