On March 24th City Staff and their design consultant, CSW, held a virtual community meeting for the Third Street Rehabilitation and Safety projects. This meeting gave an overview of the project & goals, proposed street lighting, and construction impacts. The video and PowerPoint presentation have been posted to the city website for anyone who missed...
Following the completion of significant park improvements in summer 2019 at Pickleweed Park, the playground at the former Spinnaker Point Parking Modifications was removed in anticipation of a project to widen Canal Street/Spinnaker Point Drive and create additional on-street parking. Staff have completed the design of the improvements and continue to work with an environmental...
Last week, the Facilities Team got to work replacing the old gate and pergola located at the Pickleweed Childcare Center. Being located at an entrance to the childcare center, the gate is heavily utilized and was becoming difficult for staff to open and close. Here, Facilities Team members Omar Garcia and Michael Rieser are seen erecting the new gate at...
The Parks Division has been very busy as we enter spring. They continue their twice weekly maintenance rounds of City Parks and the downtown area while also supporting the Sidewalk Repair Program with the planting of 90 trees total for this round. In the photo you will see Parks Division staff Jorge Hernandez, Rene Ramos...
The Streets Division has been keeping busy with road repairs and paint refreshing. A 75-foot section of roadway along the curb and gutter on Kerner Blvd had significant root damage from nearby trees that had been previously removed. In the photo you will see Streets Division paving crew members Kenny Gatlin, Arturo Tinoco, Jeremy Quintal...
Anecdotally, I think you would hear that Dining Under the Lights is a successful event, gets people out of the house, and brings them to Fourth Street. With our new data collection technology, the Traffic Engineering division can tell you for sure that there is a rise in pedestrian activity by an average of 32...
Another metric that the Traffic Engineering division has been reviewing is red light runners. Below is an example of Fourth Street/C Street. Many drivers are getting through the intersection on the yellow, but there are quite a few going through the intersection on a red light. We are using this to consider lengthening the yellow...
From Monday, April 12 to Friday, April 16, the City's contractor, Van Midde & Son Concrete, will replace two concrete flags along the Multi-Use Pathway between Andersen Drive and Rice drive. The pathway will be closed for the duration of construction (see map for reference). Pedestrians and bicyclists are advised to use Andersen Drive as...
The design for the Third Street Rehabilitation and Third Street Safety projects are moving into the final stage. Construction is anticipated on both projects to begin in the Summer 2021. The City is hosting a virtual public meeting for the Third Street Corridor Projects to discuss the construction process and impacts to the community. This...
After a long delay, the traffic signal cabinet and controller have finally arrived at the Public Works corp yard. The consultant has begun the process of assembling the new cabinet and controller this week. It must run in the shop for a several days to make sure it is functioning property before we send it...
Without a system of well-maintained streets, vehicles have a tough time getting through the City. The Streets Division staff has been busy performing various road repairs throughout the City. This includes pothole filling and larger skim patches. Streets staff frequently use a variety of equipment for these repairs including compressors, jack hammers, backhoes, and our...
The last couple of weeks have proven to be very busy for the Parks Division in support of the Sidewalk Repair Program. They began the tree planting process as well as doing vegetation cleanups along the roadside and medians in the Terra Linda area. They have also been busy assisting CalTrans in the weekly cleanup...
Recent rain and windstorms brought some trees and tree limbs down throughout the City. Fortunately, none of the falling limbs caused any serious damage or harm. DPW staff as well as on call contractors are always ready to respond when these events happen. In the photo you will see Streets Division and Parks Division crew...
The Sidewalk Repair Program continues to be one of Public Works’ most popular programs when it comes to resident participation. Since the program first began accepting applications for the program in 2018, more than 500 properties in San Rafael have signed up to have their sidewalk replaced through it. While neighborhoods have been thrilled at...
This week the contractor moved onto the final two phases of the Francisco Blvd East Sidewalk project. The traffic control barriers have been shifted to begin the replacement of sidewalk between Yacht Club and the Grand Avenue Bridge. During the final phase, there may be the need for night work. Construction is still anticipated to...
Last week Public Works welcomed the newest addition to the Engineering team: Associate Civil Engineer Matt Pepin. Matt came to us with nearly a decade of experience as a Project Engineer at Langan, a San Francisco-based engineering firm. During his time at Langan, Matt worked on major developments in San Francisco such as the Chase...
Downtown San Rafael gets a lot of attention from the Traffic division, for good reason. It is our most congested area within City limits, carries the highest volume of vehicles, sees the most pedestrian activity, and is home to a very busy transit center. With the installation of video detection in Central San Rafael, the...
Beginning this evening, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will begin the first of three 55-hour weekend closures for the NB 101 Central San Rafael Off-Ramp Bridge Replacement project. The first closure will start tonight, Friday, March 19 at 10:00 pm and reopen on Monday, March 22 at 5:00 am. Detours will be in place....
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will begin the first of three 55-hour weekend closures for the 101 NB Central San Rafael Off-Ramp Bridge Replacement project. The first closure will start on Friday, March 19 at 10:00 pm and reopen on Monday, March 22 at 5:00 am. Detours will be in place; please see familiarize yourself ...
On January 28, 2021, the City of San Rafael issued a pre-qualification questionnaire for the Fire Station 54 & 55 construction project to pre-qualify contractors that can bid on the project. Submissions were due on February 16, 2021. The following is a list of the contractors who have pre-qualified for this project (listed in alphabetical...
On the March 15th City Council meeting, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) presented an informational report on the 101 NB Central San Rafael Off-Ramp Bridge Replacement project. This is a major improvement project that requires heavy construction and will cause disruption to residents and businesses. Special thanks to Caltrans Regional Project Manager, Wajahat Nyaz,...
View the recruitment flyer This job assists in the development and management of public works construction projects or programs through every phase, including mapping, drafting, reporting and field inspection. We are seeking a candidate who is up to the challenge of working in a dynamic department. This job will require creative problem-solving, community engagement, and...
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will begin the first of three 55-hour weekend closures for the 101 NB Central San Rafael Off-Ramp Bridge Replacement project. The first closure will start on Friday, March 19 at 10:00 PM and reopen on Monday, March 22 at 5:00 AM. Detours will be in place; please see the...
After careful considerations on this specific topic, the City and consultant Haley & Aldrich have developed an approach for apportioning the cost of Umbrella Permitting among participating waterfront Channel property owners. There are two costs which will need to be apportioned as a part of the umbrella private dock/marina dredging process (i.e. all dredging that occurs outside the federal...
Congratulations to the Department of Public Works (DPW) for winning an American Public Works Association (APWA) award for the Public Safety Center. DPW took this award home for the Northern California Small Cities and Rural Communities Award under the Structures category. APWA is an international professional association of public works agencies. This awards ceremony was...
The design for the Third Street Rehabilitation and Third Street Safety projects are wrapping up. Construction is anticipated on both projects to begin in the Summer 2021. The City will be hosting a virtual public meeting for the Third Street Corridor Rehabilitation & Safety Projects on March 24th from 6-7:30pm. This meeting will provide a...
Early this week, one of the buildings on the upper City Hall Parking Lot, which used to serve as the office for the temporary Station 51, was removed. The removal of this building took contributions from various City departments. For example, Parking Services and Public Works Streets assisted with blocking off the necessary parking spaces...
On the March 15th City Council Meeting, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will be providing an informational report on the 101 NB Central San Rafael Off-Ramp Bridge Replacement project. In 1941, the bridge structure at the 101 NB Central San Rafael off-ramp was built and is now no longer seismically safe. Caltrans plans to...
The City of San Rafael’s annual street resurfacing program has seen a significant loss in revenue throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. The City’s streets are maintained with gas tax revenue and with the large drop in gas sales statewide, the City’s gas tax revenue has also proportionately dropped. Even with this dramatic drop in revenue, the...
After almost 11 weeks, the old timbre bridge has been totally removed and work has begun on the foundation of the new concrete bridge. The last couple of weeks have been spent drilling the six holes where the concrete CIDH (cast-in-drilled-hole) piles will be constructed. These piles will support the bridge columns and abutments. Some...
