Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
Highway 101 project raises ire in southern Marin
By Kelly Dunleavy
Marinscope Newspapers
An improvement plan for Highway 101 between Greenbrae and Corte Madera that has been 10 years in the making is raising concern from local residents.
“They’re worried Tamal Vista Drive will become a parking lot,” said Larkspur Mayor Dan Hilmer.
The proposal, which is in the environmental review phase, was presented by the Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM) at a scoping meeting on Sept. 29 to nearly 150 residents.
The plan, which would be done in stages, would create a braided ramp at the southbound Sir Francis Drake exit. Cars getting on the highway at Sir Francis Drake Boulevard would be carried up and over the creek in an expanded entrance ramp before entering traffic. Traffic getting off at Sir Francis Drake Boulevard could be carried over the creek as well to exit at Wornum Drive, while the Lucky Drive off-ramp is temporarily closed during the first construction phase. The Lucky Drive entrance ramp would be improved and expanded. In phase two, an improved off-ramp at Lucky Drive would be built to take cars exiting the highway up and over the on-ramp before depositing them at Wornum Drive.
This part of the proposal is an attempt to resolve the safety issue of cars weaving as they enter and exit the highway in this area. In the morning, 2,200 cars get on the highway at the Sir Francis Drake entrance per hour. That traffic is then forced to merge left in a very short distance at the same time traffic is attempting to exit at the Lucky Drive exit and the Madera exit, just south of Lucky Drive.
“The public agrees there’s an issue there,” said TAM Project Manager Bill Whitney. CalTrans’ current standards say there has to be a mile between highway exits in order to avoid these issues. On southbound 101, there is a mile between the Sir Francis Drake exit and the Tamalpais exit, with two other exits, Lucky Drive and Madera, falling within that mile.
Once this issue is resolved, phase three of the project would move south and close the Madera exit. There is less than a quarter-mile between the Madera exit and the Tamalpais exit. “It’s very, very substandard,” said Whitney.
The Tamalpais exit would also be improved and widened, and more usability would be created for bikers and pedestrians. Frontage roads would be created between Tamalpais Drive and Madera Boulevard and a one-way frontage road would connect Wornum Drive to Madera Boulevard. There would also be general improvements to some surface streets and to bus pads and pedestrian access.
On northbound 101, a noncontroversial plan involves a braided ramp from Wornum Drive directly onto the highway to avoid the congestion that occurs as cars now enter the highway at Lucky Drive and are then forced to wait at a stoplight at Sir Francis Drake Boulevard.
“This is not just a highway project. This is a multimodal transportation improvement program,” said Whitney.
Concern is primarily centered on the closure of the Madera exit and the temporary closure of the Lucky Drive exit.
Last week, the Corte Madera Town Council voted to direct staff to draft a resolution opposing the closure of the Madera exit and recommending that plans focus on improvements at Tamalpais Drive.
“It has a really harmful impact,” said Vice Mayor Carla Condon.
Currently, traffic from the schools — Redwood High School, Hall Middle School and Neil Cummins Elementary — can back traffic up in that area in the mornings. The Tamalpais and Madera exits also serve the Town Center in Corte Madera. A closure of the Madera exit could create an increase of traffic and congestion on the local streets.
“Are we better off implementing the solution?” asked Town Center General Manager Stan Hoffman.
Hoffman is concerned that by directing all Town Center traffic to Tamalpais Drive, there will be more traffic than the current entrance and exits to the shopping center can handle. Additionally, stores on the Madera Boulevard side of the center, such as the Chevron station, may be forced out of business.
There is also concern that the Twin Cities Police Department, which can easily use Highway 101 currently, will not be able to respond to emergencies as quickly. Yet another concern is that in an emergency, evacuation of the towns may be compromised.
Because current CalTrans standards require a mile between highway exits, TAM has also suggested that if improvements are made to the Tamalpais exit, then CalTrans will require that the Madera exit be closed to comply with standards.
“I was offended by those conditions,” said Condon, who emphasized that there has not been problems in the past at the Madera exit, but that improvements have to be made to the Tamalpais exit.
Condon, herself, was rear-ended on Tamalpais Drive, because the steep overpass prevents drivers from being able to see traffic in front of them. Pedestrian and bike safety also needs to be improves at that interchange, she said.
“This is a problem for Marin County, not just for Corte Madera and Larkspur,” said Hoffman.
While these concerns have been raised at a series of public meetings, Whitney said the problems have been addressed in revised plans. “It’s not going to degrade the service of the local roads,” he said.
TAM began this project in 1999 by looking at the Sir Francis Drake entrance and exit at the request of the towns. In 2004, a regional measure increased the tolls on bridges, which will fund this project along with a number of other projects. However, the total for the project, said Whitney, may be between $160 million and $180 million and funds have not even been identified for the final phase of the project.
“They’re worried Tamal Vista Drive will become a parking lot,” said Larkspur Mayor Dan Hilmer.
The proposal, which is in the environmental review phase, was presented by the Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM) at a scoping meeting on Sept. 29 to nearly 150 residents.
The plan, which would be done in stages, would create a braided ramp at the southbound Sir Francis Drake exit. Cars getting on the highway at Sir Francis Drake Boulevard would be carried up and over the creek in an expanded entrance ramp before entering traffic. Traffic getting off at Sir Francis Drake Boulevard could be carried over the creek as well to exit at Wornum Drive, while the Lucky Drive off-ramp is temporarily closed during the first construction phase. The Lucky Drive entrance ramp would be improved and expanded. In phase two, an improved off-ramp at Lucky Drive would be built to take cars exiting the highway up and over the on-ramp before depositing them at Wornum Drive.
This part of the proposal is an attempt to resolve the safety issue of cars weaving as they enter and exit the highway in this area. In the morning, 2,200 cars get on the highway at the Sir Francis Drake entrance per hour. That traffic is then forced to merge left in a very short distance at the same time traffic is attempting to exit at the Lucky Drive exit and the Madera exit, just south of Lucky Drive.
“The public agrees there’s an issue there,” said TAM Project Manager Bill Whitney. CalTrans’ current standards say there has to be a mile between highway exits in order to avoid these issues. On southbound 101, there is a mile between the Sir Francis Drake exit and the Tamalpais exit, with two other exits, Lucky Drive and Madera, falling within that mile.
Once this issue is resolved, phase three of the project would move south and close the Madera exit. There is less than a quarter-mile between the Madera exit and the Tamalpais exit. “It’s very, very substandard,” said Whitney.
The Tamalpais exit would also be improved and widened, and more usability would be created for bikers and pedestrians. Frontage roads would be created between Tamalpais Drive and Madera Boulevard and a one-way frontage road would connect Wornum Drive to Madera Boulevard. There would also be general improvements to some surface streets and to bus pads and pedestrian access.
On northbound 101, a noncontroversial plan involves a braided ramp from Wornum Drive directly onto the highway to avoid the congestion that occurs as cars now enter the highway at Lucky Drive and are then forced to wait at a stoplight at Sir Francis Drake Boulevard.
“This is not just a highway project. This is a multimodal transportation improvement program,” said Whitney.
Concern is primarily centered on the closure of the Madera exit and the temporary closure of the Lucky Drive exit.
Last week, the Corte Madera Town Council voted to direct staff to draft a resolution opposing the closure of the Madera exit and recommending that plans focus on improvements at Tamalpais Drive.
“It has a really harmful impact,” said Vice Mayor Carla Condon.
Currently, traffic from the schools — Redwood High School, Hall Middle School and Neil Cummins Elementary — can back traffic up in that area in the mornings. The Tamalpais and Madera exits also serve the Town Center in Corte Madera. A closure of the Madera exit could create an increase of traffic and congestion on the local streets.
“Are we better off implementing the solution?” asked Town Center General Manager Stan Hoffman.
Hoffman is concerned that by directing all Town Center traffic to Tamalpais Drive, there will be more traffic than the current entrance and exits to the shopping center can handle. Additionally, stores on the Madera Boulevard side of the center, such as the Chevron station, may be forced out of business.
There is also concern that the Twin Cities Police Department, which can easily use Highway 101 currently, will not be able to respond to emergencies as quickly. Yet another concern is that in an emergency, evacuation of the towns may be compromised.
Because current CalTrans standards require a mile between highway exits, TAM has also suggested that if improvements are made to the Tamalpais exit, then CalTrans will require that the Madera exit be closed to comply with standards.
“I was offended by those conditions,” said Condon, who emphasized that there has not been problems in the past at the Madera exit, but that improvements have to be made to the Tamalpais exit.
Condon, herself, was rear-ended on Tamalpais Drive, because the steep overpass prevents drivers from being able to see traffic in front of them. Pedestrian and bike safety also needs to be improves at that interchange, she said.
“This is a problem for Marin County, not just for Corte Madera and Larkspur,” said Hoffman.
While these concerns have been raised at a series of public meetings, Whitney said the problems have been addressed in revised plans. “It’s not going to degrade the service of the local roads,” he said.
TAM began this project in 1999 by looking at the Sir Francis Drake entrance and exit at the request of the towns. In 2004, a regional measure increased the tolls on bridges, which will fund this project along with a number of other projects. However, the total for the project, said Whitney, may be between $160 million and $180 million and funds have not even been identified for the final phase of the project.
 |
 |
|
| Job fair to ‘reboot’ careers in Marin | Quake drill held in S.R. as Loma Prieta turns 20 |
Article Rating
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of marinscope.com.
You must register with a valid email to post comments. Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Registered users sign in here: |
Become a Registered User |
