Work on the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit tracks north of Santa Rosa will close two main county thoroughfares this week, and is expected to cause some headaches for drivers.
Contractor Stacy and Witbeck/Herzog are upgrading railroad crossings at Fulton Road and River Road and replacing aging wooden railroad ties with new concrete ones.
Fulton Road, a north-south road that connects west Santa Rosa with Highway 101 near Airport Boulevard, closed at the track crossing Monday. The road, which serves 20,000 cars per day, according to the county, was expected to remain closed through Thursday.
River Road, a main route for 16,000 cars per day between Highway 101 and the Russian River area, will close at the tracks on Friday evening starting at 7 p.m. Access will remain blocked through Sunday, SMART said.
"We've been in consultation with the county, and these are the dates they chose," said SMART spokesman Matt Stevens. "The work's gotta get done. We didn't want to wait too long until we got into the summer and it gets busier."
Drivers can expect delays around the Fulton area. Piner Road and Olivet Road are being used as detours.
"These are two of our higher traveled roads," said Rob Silva, Sonoma County Transportation and Public Works road maintenance manager. "There will be some impacts to traffic in the area."
Silva noted that the work will improve the roadways at the tracks by adding concrete panels and smoothing the bumpy crossings.
The construction is part of a massive overhaul to the tracks between Airport Boulevard and downtown San Rafael to prepare for commuter rail service in late 2016.
The project, as approved by voters in 2008, calls for service from Cloverdale to Larkspur. During the recession, with sales tax revenue lagging, the SMART board in 2011 scaled back the initial segment to between Santa Rosa and San Rafael.
In December, the authority received regional funding to extend the line to Airport Boulevard. An extension to the Larkspur ferry terminal could be added soon after service begins if funding is approved this year.
Most of the work, including road crossings, was completed between Santa Rosa and Petaluma last year. Contractors are currently working on the line through Marin County and north of Guerneville Road to Airport Boulevard, where SMART's operations and maintenance facility will be based.
You can reach Staff Writer Matt Brown at 521-5206 or matt.brown@pressdemocrat.com.
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