SMART to close San Rafael streets for construction linked to Larkspur station

Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit will close sections of roadway in downtown San Rafael on consecutive weekends beginning Friday evening so work can be completed on the extension of the tracks to Larkspur.

Starting Friday at 8 p.m., 2nd Street will be closed between Tamalpais Avenue and Hetherton Street. The closure will remain in effect through 4 a.m. on Monday, June 3, and commuters are encouraged to plan ahead.

The following weekend starting at 8 p.m. on June 7, the closure will move to 3rd Street, also between Tamalpais Avenue and Hetherton Street. The closure will once again last until 4 a.m. the following Monday, June 10, with detours in place.

Surrounding businesses will remain open during construction, though train service to the station in San Rafael will be shut down June 8 and 9th because of the construction on 3rd Street.

During the second weekend of construction, buses will take SMART passengers between the Marin Civic Center station and Larkspur Ferry Terminal, with a stop at the San Rafael Transit Center en route.

SMART’s $55 million Larkspur station is scheduled to open by year’s end, creating the North Bay rail agency’s new southern terminus.

You can reach Staff Writer Kevin Fixler at 707-521-5336 or kevin.fixler@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @kfixler.