More Highway Improvement Funds OK'd for 101

Commuters can expect a smoother ride into San Francisco now that a  highway project in Marin recently received a cash allotment to repave Highway 101.

The California Transportation Commission allocated $2.2 billion in new funding to 146 highway, transit and rail projects statewide, and $24.4 million of that will go toward repaving Highway 101 from the Golden Gate Bridge north to Larkspur.

Caltrans spokesman Bob Haus said the project could be advertised for contruction bidders as early as October and the contract could be awarded in November.

Assuming it all goes to plan, work should commence in late spring or early summer 2012, he said. The project is expected to improve ride quality and prevent further deterioration and extend pavement life, Haus added.

The state OK’d the allocation to continuing the push to rebuild California’s infrastructure and to spur job growth, Caltrans said.

“We are putting transportation dollars to work creating jobs and making transportation improvements that will benefit Californians now and for decades to come,” Acting Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty said in a recent release.

The $2.2 billion in funding included $863 million from Proposition 1B, a 2006 voter-approved transportation bond. To date, the state has allocated more than $9 billion in Proposition 1B funds. 

Also, Caltrans plans to adjust the curve of Highway 101 at San Antonio Road north of Novato near the Marin-Sonoma county line at a cost of $400,000.

See the attachment about all the projects that received allocations.