SMART rail work will close East Cotati Avenue in Cotati on Friday through Sunday at the train tracks.
It’s part of the rail district upgrading the tracks through Sonoma County. Crews are going through the county tearing out the old crossings and putting in new track.
To detour around the closure, take Southwest Boulevard to the north or East Railroad Avenue to the south.
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Greg Karraker
Trains 3, Cars 0. Just a hint of the nightmare to come. Get used to it.
August 3rd, 2012 10:46 am
Makai
This ‘Smart’ Train, and I use the word “Smart’ sarcastically, will create even more of a traffic nightmare in Sonoma County.
Very few people carpool, or use other means of transportation, like the limited buses remaining of Golden Gate and Sonoma County Transit, to get to and from their destinations.
It’s a no win situation for everybody, and the billions of dollars being spent on this foolish project will only increase as the years go by.
Bottom line, if you think traffic’s bad now, wait until this white elephant is completed.
August 3rd, 2012 10:57 am
Smart is Smart
Makai traffic isn’t bad on East Cotati. The only problem on that road is people like to go 50 miles per hour. The Rail system is a good idea. The tracks haven’t been used for years up until recently they started using them for freight again. It’s time for us to catch up. In Europe that’s peoples main transportation.
August 3rd, 2012 11:13 am
Suzanne
Of course the Smart train is a smart choice. Any kind of transportation to reduce the damage cars cause, not to mention the traffic, is a good option. It’s a great thing I can’t wait till the work is completed!
August 3rd, 2012 1:05 pm
Cranky
Neither SMART’s construction info. page, nor this report, are useful. They do not specifically describe the anticipated hours of road closure.
Given the apparent professed antagonism of Cotati’s current elected officials toward automobiles, it is not surprising that this was allowed to happen.
August 3rd, 2012 2:20 pm
Makai
Some may agree that the Smart Train is a good idea, but look at the near empty car pool lanes Cal Trans has created, and rarely anybody uses them except when they get impatient, and use it, my term, as a NASCAR lane.
It’s not so much that I’m opposed to the Train, it’s just that Sonoma County is growing so fast, and the dependency on individuals driving their own vehicles has risen 10 fold because of odd work hours, and their dependency and wasted driving habits.
I would hope it would work, but we here in California have a love affair with our vehicles. I for one, rarely drive anymore, except for necessities more than 5 miles away from my home.
As for the traffic issues, Santa Rosa, Petaluma, and other tight communities will be severely impacted and inconvenienced by the trains.
August 3rd, 2012 2:22 pm
John Hudson
The real mess will come when this boondoggle starts running trains every ten minutes during commute hours. It will block the main east to west thoroughfares in Petaluma, Cotati, Rohnert Park, and Santa Rosa during commute hours. Imagine traffic coming to a complete stop on every east to west street in these cities every ten minutes just when traffic is at its worst. That’s the bill of goods Jake MacKenzie and the PD have sold the people of Sonoma County.
August 4th, 2012 8:03 am
dan
I don’t recall when the smart train was sold to the people that new track and crossings were needed. Wasn’t the idea based on the fact that the tracks already existed? And, all these people who express the love for it certainly will be giving up their cars to ride the train right? That will definitely take a whole lot of cars off the road, right? LOL
August 5th, 2012 3:24 pm