Comments on: Worst road in Sonoma County is …

By: connie george

connie george — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 08:00:18 +0000

In Healdsburg its Center Street. At the end to Powell St…

By: Dan

Dan — Tue, 08 May 2012 23:37:35 +0000

I agree with Scott Andrews.
I think it is not just money but also a culture in the road department of “We can’t do it” or “Sonoma County drivers expect bad roads and we give exactly what they expect”
In the jobs that have been carried out there is a lack of quality. Between R.P. Expressway and 116 there were some sectional repairs done where the pavement was cut out and a new layer of pavement was laid down. Even though they used a roller, they just couldn’t match up the new surface with the existing surface. Now every time I drive over the new section, my pickup jolts up about three inches.
Three salamander crossing pipes were installed under Stony Point just east of Mecham road last year. The pipes were installed without cutting the pavement. Installing pipes without disturbing the pavement sounds like a good idea. Unfortunately, a ripple developed over two of the three pipes so every time you drove over them, your tires went airborne. A sectional “repair” was done over the pipes. The job was botched Just like the other sectional repairs. Now my wheels go airborne even higher. I know these sectional repairs can be done correctly. I recently drove over some in Marin County and they were seen but not felt.

What the Supervisors should do is eliminate the management of the Sonoma road department and contract with Marin County.

By: Lancelot

Lancelot — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 14:12:45 +0000

Yep Id have to agree with this, I lived there, it was dreadful and of all the roads I ever knew was the most shameful of any county.

By: Lena

Lena — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 20:54:15 +0000

Yea, Scott Andrews for your comment, it is well said. Our Roads in Sonoma County have always been awful. I took note on the conditions of our poorly kept roads as a youth, and I am 55 now, and I have not seen much, if, any change in the upkeep of our roads. I always said, if there is a problem with employees not doing a job well done, look to its administration, it’s usually, a reflection of the same. There is no excuse good enough for me, concerning the road conditions in our beautiful Sonoma County.

By: robert

robert — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 14:50:05 +0000

keiser is maybe “ok” if you are able to drive the middle, but some of those holes on the sides make you clench your checks a bit before you hit them. also sonoma mountain road off of old adbobe is deserving of mention

By: Bill K

Bill K — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 19:24:15 +0000

I have to vote again for Irwin… it is so bad it deserves back to back wins.

Other than that, it isn’t travelled on much, but the persons that live there would certainley agree, Duer Road is terrible… I think overall, I would say it is worse than Irwin… at least on Irwin, I can almost do the speed limit, it is hard on the car, but not as rough as Duer at 15 or 20mph.

I drive to Sonoma daily from Santa Rosa in the various different ways… like one person mentions, HWY 12 to Sonoma… while there are parts that could use touch up, this is actually pretty nice roadway, Adobe Road, has some bad parts, but nowhere near as bad as some, Bennett Valley/Warm Springs road could use attention in that middle part they didn’t do anything except a quick patch pave on.

I vote that Irwin be taken back to a full gravel road experiment like they tried on Sonoma Mountain Road, however, they should use the binding enzyme as directed (mixed with the product, not sprayed on top of).

I drive some of the roads that ppl comment on, and well, they’re not that bad… while, others listed are bad to terrible.

By: Angie

Angie — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 15:53:52 +0000

I take issue with this remark: Several years ago I visited Germany, home of perfect roads–and not just the Autobahn. Even the country lanes are perfectly constructed and paved. Sure, the Germans pay high taxes, but you get what you pay for. “~ kepc

We pay high taxes in Sonoma County and in the state of Calif. Too! But, the point is: It’s not being spent on resurfacing roads from what we see—and drive on!

By: jalama

jalama — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 02:30:51 +0000

I used to live in Hawaii and knew a guy that had an asphalt paving company. He got in the habit of fixing any potholes on the way home if he had any leftovers from a job. They arrested him and threw him in jail for a week and fined him $1500 for doing unauthorized “county” work.

By: Ron Hodges

Ron Hodges — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 17:54:21 +0000

Check out Mark West road west of Starr Road. It has world class pot Holes. Also Chalk Hill Road has had a steel traffic plate across the road for the last 6 months with no indication that it will ever be replaced.

By: Jac

Jac — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 20:32:10 +0000

I agree with Wild Ride, Acacia Lane is the worst. I don’t believe it has been paved since I moved away in 1969. And, right, Acacia Lane has never been incorporated into the city.

By: New Chautauqua

New Chautauqua — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 02:55:53 +0000

I would say if you were considering the money spent against the result the worst road in the county would have to be highway 101. When you consider we spent over $60,000,000 on it we have change coming. it is by far the sloppiest job ever. It’s bumpy, not level, noisy and they didn’t improve the exit/entrance ramps. There is a routine 1/4 mile backup onto the freeway at some exits.

The worst road in the county is 101. We got screwed.

By: rgrace

rgrace — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 02:42:12 +0000

You guys are all wimps ~

Rio Nido Road at River Road, and pretty much every road in Rio Nido, takes the cake. Rio Nido Road is nothing but potholes upon potholes and pothole patches of pothole patches. C’mon, people. You got it easy.

By: mother

mother — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 22:39:42 +0000

1 of the worst is Barnes Road between San Miguel and River Road. At night, you practically have to drive down the middle to avoid all the potholes. And when the nearby empty fields overflow with marsh water after heavy rains, people drive their cars down Barnes Road like drunken sailors, criss-crossing to miss potholes and driving down the wrong sides to miss the water. Got to love those chickens though.

By: Wild Ride

Wild Ride — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 18:39:45 +0000

Acacia Lane just north of Hwy 12. It must not be a “County Maintained Road” because it is barely paved and so bad that the fire department refuses to go down it. It is littered with large, deep potholes. Go down it and see what I mean. Hands down, the WORST!

By: BadRoads

BadRoads — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 00:28:33 +0000

As a resident of a rural road and short cut between to valleys, I cant wait till it goes back to the gravel washboard it was 25 years ago!
Finally a solution to get those fancy sports cars, that cut blind corners and can stay in their lane, to slow down a little. Then we wont have to keep scraping their bodies of the pavement and trees. Hopefully the dust and risk of gravel chips will cut the traffic substantially.

Best cost savings idea in years! Now where’s my jack hammer so I can help nature take its course?

By: Dee

Dee — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 15:58:50 +0000

You need to drive Sonoma Mountain Road in Petaluma off of Old Adobe. There can’t be anything worse than this road, especially if you live at the top of the hill. It is disgusting. I remember this road when it was a pleasure to drive through the countryside.

By: Linda

Linda — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 23:56:28 +0000

Lichau Rd off Robert’s Rd is in very poor shape as well. It should be renamed Pothole Rd! Driving down the middle of the road works for a short time until you get to the hilly part. The road has not been repaved in the 10 years I’ve been driving on it.

By: kepc

kepc — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 16:33:35 +0000

I can’t pick a “winner.” There are so many atrocious roads in Sonoma County. Several years ago I visited Germany, home of perfect roads–and not just the Autobahn. Even the country lanes are perfectly constructed and paved. Sure, the Germans pay high taxes, but you get what you pay for. By comparison, our local roads have a third-world flavor. I agree with the other reader’s comments about chronic pothole filling. The cheap solution doesn’t last. Is the lame technique of pothole filling meant to provide life-long job security for the road crews? What about the security of the tax payers who drive on these roads?

By: collinsfriend

collinsfriend — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 01:51:51 +0000

Apparently you haven’t been on Porter Creek Rd.

By: Don

Don — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:15:02 +0000

Surprising Roblar wasn’t mentioned. A cut over to Bodega… the coast. A local favorite. Combined w/ the big gravel trailer trucks from the quarry. It’s become a wild ride in recent year’s. The only worse Roads…. are Canfield & Petersen that feed into Roblar during the AM & aftn. school transport hour’s to that little school on Roblar. Herd’s of Minivans, latte sipping, running late Mommies doing 80 on 2 lane country roads are ten times scarier than the 18 wheeler’s. For safety, local’s avoid being on these Roads during traffic times or risk getting hit or run off the road.