Redwood Highway Project Expected to Begin in August

For Immediate Release –

Pending Board approval, the County’s involvement could take up to six months

Marin County, CA – The County of Marin is planning to begin a utility undergrounding project on Redwood Highway between Belvedere Drive and Seminary Drive in Strawberry, on the east side of US-101. Utility undergrounding enhances public safety, and improves utility reliability, reduces outages and repair needs related to wind and severe weather. The project would also improve appearances by removing overhead utility infrastructure and placing it underground.

Pending Marin County Board of Supervisors’ approval at the public meeting on July 15, the project would be able to begin construction in August and is expected to take up to six months to complete.

This County-led project plans to construct a trench to accommodate underground utility infrastructure for Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), AT&T, and Comcast, along with the installation of underground service conduits to commercial properties along the 0.4-mile corridor. While the County’s role is limited to the construction work, including trenching, conduit installation, and surface restoration, the effort provides the infrastructure necessary for the utility agencies to implement their service conversion work.

The initial three to six months would be the primary construction stage, which would have the greatest impact traffic along the corridor. Following construction, the utility companies would coordinate to install primary and secondary electric, telephone, and cable into underground conduits. Due to the complex nature of the work and the multiple companies involved, the installation work may take time; however, the County will ensure that the effort remains a scheduling priority. Once the utility installation is complete, the above ground utility poles would be removed.

Traffic impacts would primarily take place during the construction phase of the project, when the trenching and conduit installation is occurring between Belvedere Drive and Seminary Drive. Two-way access for traffic will be maintained to the maximum extent possible by shifting lanes while working. However, some single lane access with alternating direction traffic control measures will be necessary.

It is anticipated that street parking along Redwood Highway would to be limited during the project. However, full or partial access to driveways is expected to be maintained throughout the project with only minor delays. The project is designed to focus on completing individual segments of the roadway with the intention of limiting traffic delays to under five minutes.

The construction phase, which is scheduled to be from early August through winter 2025/26, would take place on weekdays during daytime hours; however, the current plan requires one week of night work. Further notice will be provided to the community with details of any such plans.

The combined cost of both the construction phase and the utility phase is estimated at $4.5 million. The collaborative undertaking is covered by credits from the County’s participation in PG&E’s Rule 20A program, which supports the undergrounding of overhead utilities on public streets.