San Rafael traffic project to relieve persistent clot

The Bellam Boulevard offramp, where local traffic converges with commuters headed to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, will be changed from three lanes to four.

Plans are underway to widen a troubled chokepoint linking Highway 101 and Interstate 580 in San Rafael.

The Bellam Boulevard offramp, where local traffic converges with commuters headed to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, will be expanded from three lanes to four.

The Transportation Authority of Marin’s executive committee, which oversees administration, projects and planning, voted unanimously this month to recommend approval of a host actions, including the allocation of $4 million of sales tax dollars and $1.16 million of gas tax funds.

The agency’s board is expected to approve the allocation at its meeting Thursday along with a $7.2 million contract with the county to administer the construction of the project.

TAM staff presented the project at the San Rafael City Council meeting on Monday as part of an update on its big-picture efforts to ease traffic between Highway 101 and Interstate 580.

Mayor Kate Colin, a member of the TAM board, said she is grateful to the county and TAM for partnering on the projects.

“We’re really thankful because having these improvements sooner rather than later will be incredible for the community,” Colin said.

“Adding that lane in the exit is going to be like a game-changer,” Councilmember Maika Llorens Gulati said.

The project is expected to cost about $9.1 million and to be ready for construction this fall.

It’s related to another long-planned project to create a direct connection between the freeways.

The Transportation Authority of Marin, the planning agency leading that project, recently refined the route options that will be studied in an environmental impact report. Two options would directly link the highways, while one does not.

San Rafael City Council members said they are happy to hear that two undesirable proposed flyovers have been cut from consideration.

Moreover, new plans home in on traffic relief and safety improvements on Bellam Boulevard, the city corridor between the two highways.

“I’m very glad to see you focusing your attention on our local streets, and how we can sort of improve what we have and make it work better,” Councilmember Maribeth Bushey said.

As it stands, northbound Highway 101 drivers must use Bellam Boulevard in San Rafael or Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in Larkspur to get to Interstate 580 and the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. The traffic clogs local streets with backups into communities.

If there is no project, traffic patterns on northbound Highway 101 are expected to get worse, increasing the travel time between the Tamalpais Drive interchange and the Bellam Boulevard exit from 13 minutes to 25 minutes by 2040, according to TAM.

While the project has been long envisioned as a flyover highway connection in the area of Bellam Boulevard and Andersen Drive in San Rafael, recent data show similar traffic relief could be achieved by revamping the Bellam corridor alone, TAM staff said.

“Those results have been pretty encouraging,” said Connie Fremier, project planner with TAM.

It also led to the addition of what is being called project alternative “7.” A direct connection between the highways is not part of that plan.

The improvements proposed under this option involve replacing the eastbound Interstate 580 bridge over Bellam Boulevard, transit improvements and intersection and bicycle and pedestrian upgrades between Andersen Drive and Kerner Boulevard.

Fremier said the agency is also considering roundabouts at the Bellam Boulevard intersection at Francisco Boulevard East and at Kerner Boulevard.

Two direct connector alternatives are also being considered.

Project alternative “2” is advancing. It proposes a flyover between Cal Park Hill and the Bellam Boulevard exit that crosses Andersen Drive and follows Simms Street to merge onto Interstate 580. That option is expected to cost $241 million.

Alternative “3A,” the least expensive option at about $192 million, is also moving forward. It proposes a connector near Bellam Boulevard that crosses over the existing northbound Highway 101 and eastbound Interstate 580 offramp.

Both connector options also include all elements that make up alternative “7,” staff said.

Councilmember Rachel Kertz asked whether those improvements on the city road would be phased.

Fremier said that regardless of which alternative is selected, the improvements on Bellam Boulevard will be constructed as a first phase.

Bushey also asked staff to continue considering more upgrades on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, another thoroughfare that carries traffic to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.

“We don’t want everyone having to come down to Bellam, as wonderful as it will be when it’s done,” Bushey said.

Fremier said staff expects to kick off the environmental review process this summer.

“I look forward to see what the environmental report has to say and really appreciate the continued engagement with the community,” Llorens Gulati said.