Highway 12 overhaul work in Sonoma Valley to start in spring

Construction of the long-postponed Highway 12 improvements along the busy Sonoma Valley corridor is expected to begin this spring, county officials announced this week.

The second phase of the major public works project includes new sidewalks and bicycle paths, streetlights and widened vehicle lanes along the thoroughfare between Agua Caliente Road and Boyes Boulevard in The Springs, an unincorporated area north of Sonoma.

The contract, awarded to Berkeley-based construction company O.C. Jones & Sons for $5.2 million, came in slightly under the county’s engineering estimate of $5.4 million. Work is expected to begin in late April or early May and wrap up by November.

The project builds on previous improvements along Highway 12 closer to Sonoma. The start of the second phase of work was hampered by delays tied to the state-mandated closure of redevelopment agencies in 2012.

Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Susan Gorin, who represents Sonoma Valley, said completion of the work will ease traffic along the commute corridor and increase bicycle and pedestrian safety.

“This is a long, long awaited project,” Gorin said Tuesday.

You can reach Staff Writer Angela Hart at 526-8503 or angela.hart@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ahartreports.