A backlog of road marking projects has built up while the county replaces a key piece of its fleet, and working around construction at the new Sutter Hospital. More answers to Road Warrior questions.
Double yellow lines on Occidental Road
When is the County going to restripe the double yellow lines on Occidental Road from Fulton Road to Highway 116? When it’s dark or foggy the lines are nonexistent, even in the day light they are hard to see. — Stephen A. Herman
The first answer comes from Rob Silva, Road Department Operations Manager, Sonoma County Department of Transportation and Public Works:
Occidental Road is one of many county roads in need of restriping. We lost our pavement marking truck in 2008 in part because of funding reductions that created several cuts to our department, and California air quality restrictions that made it too costly to repair. Last fall the County Board authorized funding to purchase a new truck. We hope to have that equipment delivered and put into service by late this coming summer or early fall. In the mean time our Traffic Engineering department is preparing to bid some contract striping work for a number of roads this summer. I do not have a date at this time as to when the work will be done, but Occidental Rd is on that list.
Tom O’Kane, deputy director of the Sonoma County Department of Transportation and Public Works, adds more information:
The Board has authorized and funded a replacement pavement striping truck. It has been ordered & should be delivered later this year. There is a fairly long lead time in the purchasing of new equipment We had to phase out our striping truck in 2008 because of California air quality standards. Unfortunately, we were in such a serious budget situation at the time we were not in a position to fund a replacement until this fiscal year.
New Sutter Hospital traffic light
Recently the new light was added at the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts and the new Sutter Hospital. They have striped the road with two lanes at the light, but there is a strange merge before that. When you get to the light at Old Redwood Highway and Mark West Springs Road going west, there are also two lanes. But suddenly the new striping has a merge to one lane and then 50 feet later it goes to two lanes again. It seems really strange. — Mack Schwing
Tom O’Kane also answers this one:
There is an active development along this portion of the road (the north side). One of their conditions is to provide a sidewalk & connect the existing curb & gutter section which will result in a full width travel lane. Currently we do not have a date when this project will have construction begin, but the second through lane is part of this project.
