Construction to Start on East Blithedale This Summer

The Mill Valley City Council approved a plan for some much-needed improvements to East Blithedale Ave. this summer, a project that will reduce the street to one lane of traffic for about two months between June and August.

The work includes replacing the sewer mains and resurfacing the road, and is meant as a temporary fix prior to a major overhaul of East Blithedale scheduled to start in 2018 – once the $20 million Miller Avenue Streetscape Plan is complete. 

“This feels like a Band-Aid approach, and I get it,” Mayor Andy Berman said during Monday’s City Council meeting. “But are you confident that the work we’re going to do in the next nine weeks will carry us over for the next five years?”

“It should last 10,” replied Public Works Director Jill Barnes.

Construction will run from Elm/Alta Vista avenues to Camino Alto, and will take place from June 24 to August 23 during the school summer break, Barnes said. The city plans to keep one lane of traffic open, and drivers will have to wait their turn before being flagged through.

The city plans to mail out notices to all residents by mid-April, and will include updates on the city website and the Mill Valley Police Department’s Twitter account @MillValleyPD.

Residents within the project limits will also receive notifications at one week, three days, and 24 hours before construction begins.

City Councilmember Ken Wachtel was adamant about making sure everyone who uses the road is informed.

“East Blithedale is one of the two main arteries of our streets,” he said. “A lot of people use it who don’t live on it. Can we put signs up so people who go by can get that information as well?”

Barnes said they’ll install electronic signage, along with signs that detour traffic to Miller Ave. 

The main goal of the interim repairs is to improve the deteriorating sewer infrastructure under the road, according to the staff report by Associate Engineer Bianca Gomez. The city proposed a similar project last year, but put it on hold once officials discovered there was more damage to the sewer lines than they had thought.

The overall cost of the interim repairs is $750,000, plus a 20 percent contingency that brings the total to $900,000. It will be paid for through the city’s Municipal Services Tax, which provides $1.2 million a year for road rehabilitations.

The first phase of the project involves replacing the sewer lines, manholes and other features of the sewer, and should take about six weeks and cost an estimated $700,000.

The second phase, which will take about three weeks, involves a two-part surface treatment to the road for about $50,000. In the first step workers will fill in the potholes and cracks and then apply a seal. In the second step, they’ll microsurface the street using a high-quality aggregate that’s designed to extend the life of the pavement.

“This is a great candidate for this type of treatment,” Barnes said.

The method has been successful in Larkspur and Novato, it doesn’t make sense to spend more money on an overlay since plans for a major reconstruction are in the pipeline, she said. 

Once the Miller Avenue construction begins it will likely drive more traffic to East Blithedale, so improvements to the street will help in handling that increased volume. Performing the sewer work now will also shorten the construction time on the major overhaul in 2018, Barnes said.

Planning for that project is scheduled to start in 2015, and will address drainage issues, ADA compliance, and pedestrian and bike paths. It includes a full rehabilitation of the road, an overlay of the surface, and will look at moving the utilities underground and installing reclaimed water lines to the golf course and other parts of the city.

In the meantime, councilmembers approved the interim improvements to the street.

“I fully support the idea of the Band-Aid approach,” said Vice Mayor Shawn Marshall. “Blithedale is a mess, so I’m happy something is going to be done.”

Here's what else is happening on Mill Valley Patch:

• Judge Denies Max Wade’s Request to Relocate Trial, Sever Lambo Theft and Attempted Murder Charges
• CaffeOggi Closes After 23 Years in Mill Valley – Smash Burger to Open There
• New Tam High Principal to Start on July 1
• Police Arrest Suspected Serial Bank Robber After Botched Heist of U.S. Bank
• Police Blotter: $10,000 Bike Theft, Online Dating and Backstage Bandit at the Sweetwater
• Photo of the Day: Having Trouble Staying Between the Lines in Strawberry Village

For local news like this wherever you go, follow us! And don't forget to sign up for our daily e-newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.

"Like" us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Sign up for the daily Mill Valley Patch newsletter | Start a blog