Throughout 2013, tens of thousands of residents and tourists have whizzed by what looks like a ready-to-go traffic signal at Shoreline Hwy. and Tennessee Valley Road.
But because of a standoff between Caltrans and Marin County Public Works over the former's design requirements for the intersection, the long-delayed, $3.4 million Tennessee Valley Pathway project – of which the traffic light is the linchpin – has been incomplete.
Drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians in the area who've been frustrated by the inertia of the long-sought safety improvements along Shoreline Highway have some more disappointment coming their way, as the traffic light won't likely go live until July, according to Ernest Klock, principal civil engineer with Marin County Public Works.
Klock said that after several meetings with Caltrans over the past two months, the standoff has largely been resolved between the agencies. At issue were disabled access requirements at the intersection caused by a dip in the road as people made a right turn from southbound Hwy. 1 onto Tennessee Valley Rd., Klock said.
County officials have submitted what Klock called "approvable designs" to Caltrans for some additional asphalt and striping to fix the problem, and those designs are making their way through eight different "functional units," or divisions within Caltrans, for approval. Klock, who noted that there are three additional design issues with the project, each of which are minor and electrical, said he expects approval on the design in June, and for the work to finish in July.
"Our friends at Caltrans are like a bit of an octopus," said Maureen Parton, an aide to Marin County Supervisor Kate Sears, when she was asked about the traffic signal at the Mill Valley Community Meeting Tuesday night. "We're trying to wrangle all of those tentacles right now."
Once the design issues are addressed, the light will get switched on and the project will be finished, Klock said.
The design, funding and approval of the $3.4 million project was nailed down in the fall of 2011. The multi-faceted project seeks to connect the Mill Valley-Sausalito multi-use path, Tennessee Valley Road and Tam Junction for bicyclists and pedestrians.
It includes the installation in June 2012 of a 100-foot bike and pedestrian bridge across Coyote Creek, as well as a raised boardwalk along Coyote Creek that allows for safe passage during high tide on both sides of Shoreline Hwy. and an offshoot path near Frantoio Ristorante connecting the path to Shoreline closer to Hwy.101, near the Manzanita Park & Ride.
In April, the Marin County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved naming the pathway after Charles McGlashan, the late supervisor who played an instrumental role in garnering the funding for the path.
The Shoreline-Tennessee Valley intersection is just one of a number of key safety-related projects in Tam Valley. Earlier this year, county and Caltrans officials flipped the switch on a long-awaited traffic signal at Shoreline Hwy. and Flamingo Rd., a project that dates back more than 14 years to the approval of Walgreens at 227 Shoreline Highway. The $525,000 project was delayed for years due to Caltrans review and budget shortfalls.
That traffic signal at Flamingo Rd. was a condition of approval when the Marin County Planning Commission approved the construction of Walgreens at 227 Shoreline Hwy. in December 1998. The $525,000 project was delayed for years due to Caltrans review and budget shortfalls.
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