Ribbon-Cutting for Hearn Avenue Overcrossing Project in Santa Rosa

Dignitaries celebrate opening of new overcrossing that doubles traffic lanes and sidewalks and adds bicycle lanes

Santa Rosa - Caltrans, the Sonoma County Transportation and Climate Authorities (SCTCA), and the City of Santa Rosa held a ribbon cutting today for the $43.7 million Hearn Avenue Overcrossing Replacement Project, celebrating the opening of the new Highway 101 overcrossing that features two traffic lanes in each direction, two barrier-separated bicycle lanes, and sidewalks lining each side of the overpass.

^{The new overcrossing has double the traffic lanes, double the sidewalks and three bicycle lanes where none existed before}

Ghilotti Construction was the contractor on the 20-month project that involved complex, sequenced construction and demolition phases, requiring the removal of one overcrossing and the construction of another in its place while keeping traffic flowing.

The new structure vastly improves upon the original 1957 structure which contained only one lane in each direction and a single narrow sidewalk.

Doubling the traffic lanes will lead to much less congestion on the overcrossing and solve the lingering problem of backups on southbound Highway 101 as motorists formerly waited for traffic to slowly clear on the overcrowded exit ramps.

The new overcrossing is also taller, which complies with new regulations to allow taller trucks to pass beneath.

The new overcrossing is a windfall to long-suffering cyclists who shared lanes on the old structure with motorized vehicles. The north side of the new overcrossing features a westbound bicycle lane, separated from traffic by bollards, while the south side of the overcrossing features a two-way bicycle lane, separated from traffic with a concrete median and bollards.

The bicycle lanes and the new full-size sidewalks, make this project an prime example of Caltrans' Complete Streets Program, which adds multimodal upgrades to new projects when feasible.

The upgrades are already boosting pedestrian and bike travel on each side of the overcrossing, which helps to connect the once bisected neighborhood.

"Change is what we are celebrating here today." said Doanh Nguyen, Acting Caltrans Bay Area Director. "This is an overcrossing that reduces traffic congestion, encourages walking and cycling, and connects communities rather than separates them.

The project was first envisioned in the 1990s and became feasible in 2004 when Sonoma County passed Measure M, a quarter-cent sales tax to fund transportation improvements. In 2020, voters approved extending Measure M.

The SCTCA contributed $17.2 million through Measure M funds, and the City of Santa Rosa contributed $9.4 million.

The project also received $17 million in state funds, $8.6 million through the Senate Bill (SB) 1 LPP competitive program, $5 million through SB 1 Local Partnership Program (LPP), and $3.4 million from the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).

For more information about the Hearn Avenue Replacement Project, go to:
US 101/Hearn Avenue Regional Multimodal Interchange | Caltrans.

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