Editorial: Winding Bolinas Road is crucial to open space access, residents
Narrow and winding Bolinas Road in Fairfax may not get a lot of traffic, but much of the use the cliff-hugging road gets is important.
For those living along Bolinas Road, it is the only way to reach their homes. For the Marin Municipal Water District, it’s their route to the reservoirs and watershed. It is also a route to reach Mount Tamalpais State Park, Stinson Beach and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
For first responders, it is the main access into the MMWD’s Mount Tam watershed. For some, it is a trek they make to get between West Marin and Ross Valley.
The road also has a history of landslides. Last winter alone, there were nine, including one that forced the closure of a lane, making a stretch limited to one-way traffic.
Officials say the situation is not going to improve. In fact, repair of the recent landslides along Bolinas are estimated to cost an estimated $30.3 million.
That’s a lot of money to spend on a road that doesn’t get that much traffic.
But it’s not the volume of traffic, but those who rely on the road.
It’s a vital road and one that is slipping and sliding with some regularity – generating ongoing costs.
Recently, county, Fairfax and MMWD officials led Rep. Jared Huffman on a tour of the road. They are going to need Huffman’s support to bring home money from the federal Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity funds for the project.
The proposal includes an assessment of the entire stretch of road and the installation of 4,200 linear feet of retaining walls.
Having previously served as a MMWD director, Huffman knows Bolinas Road and its longstanding problems. But the tour brought him up to speed on the road’s conditions and the need for longer-lasting repairs.
More than $7.8 million in federal funds has recently been put to work for six projects along the road, including the completion of four retaining walls.
Last winter, for instance, the ground slid out from under the road, near the Sky Oaks Road. A 230-foot long retaining wall was built and safety guardrails installed.
County Public Works Director Rosemarie Gaglione calls Bolinas Road “an incredibly critical road.”
Over the years, Bolinas Road has been the scene of numerous repairs, but local officials are working on repairs that are designed to provide permanent safety.
The pitch for federal funds is not one based on the level of traffic, but on the road’s importance, integrity and safety.
Local funds already have been tapped for many of the repairs, but bringing home a slice of federal RAISE funds is pivotal to make longer-lasting repairs.