Sonoma County Seal
Officials with the County of Sonoma Department of Transportation and Public Works today provided an update to the Board of Supervisors regarding the county’s Pavement Preservation Program and Long Term Roads Plan, consistent with the Resilient Infrastructure pillar of the county’s Five-Year Strategic Plan to make critical investments in the county road network.
Between 2012 and 2021, 412 miles of roads were repaved at a cost of $128.8 million, representing 30 percent of the county-maintained road system. An additional 43 miles is planned for repaving in 2022 and 2023 at a proposed budget of $40.5 million, including a combination of county General Funds and PG&E settlement funds.
“Our Board has made a historic investment in our local infrastructure, and this report validates that commitment,” said Second District Supervisor David Rabbitt. “These projects are fundamental to public safety and access to services and are vital to our economic development, including local agriculture, recreation and tourism industries. While we should be proud of our progress, the report also reminds us how much work and investment remains to improve county roads, particularly in rural areas.”
According to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Sonoma County’s Pavement Condition Index improved eight points since 2012, from 44 to 52 out of 100. The county’s primary road network of minor arterials and major collectors was determined to be in good condition with an average PCI of 76. The county’s minor collectors and local roads are considered to be in poor condition with a PCI of 55 and 39, respectively. Projections indicate that an additional $4.3 million of minimal annual investment would be required to prevent further road network decline over the next ten years, however, the Department was successful in improving the PCI with less funding than originally projected from the 2014 report.
Sonoma County uses a combination of corrective maintenance and pavement preservation to take care of 1,368 miles of roads and 328 bridges, which is the largest road network in the San Francisco Bay Area. Because state gas tax (SB1) funding for roads is distributed based on the number of vehicle registrations rather than the number of road miles, rural counties receive disproportionately less road funding. Other funding sources for county road repairs include the Measure L transient occupancy tax and Measure M sales tax.
In 2012, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors began using General Funds to bolster pavement preservation efforts and today contributes more to road repairs than any other California counties. By 2023, the Board will have invested more than $169 million of discretionary dollars in road improvements and completed 456 miles of pavement preservation and rehabilitation projects throughout the county.
The Sonoma County Long Term Roads Plan was approved by the Board of Supervisors in 2014 to establish a methodology for selecting roads and outline a funding strategy. Approved projects are developed using the Road Evaluation Framework, combining real-world observations with modeling software to help determine the most critical infrastructure needs and most efficient use of funds across an equitable distribution of work throughout the county. Roads are identified based on attributes including average daily traffic, pavement condition, relevance to bike and bus modes of travel and relevance to public safety facilities.
The Department of Transportation and Public Works maintains a list of requested road projects as part of the Pavement Preservation Program. Residents may submit their road for consideration by calling (707) 565-2231 or by email to TPW@Sonoma-County.org.
Materials and information related to the Sonoma County Long Term Roads Plan update is available here:
SONOMA COUNTY – File #: 2021-1113
