Miller Avenue Streetscape Project Update - July 19, 2017
In this eNewsletter:
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Miller Avenue Streetscape Project Road Reconstruction and Paving Work Update
Nighttime Road Reconstruction and Paving Work Completed
Approved nighttime paving work in the Mainstreet (Willow-Valley Circle/Reed Street) has been completed. The City of Mill Valley would like to take this opportunity to thank the community for its support and patience the last two weeks as nighttime operations and heavy road closures occurred. Working at night allowed the Maggoria & Ghilotti team to successfully complete the nighttime work in record time -- six nights (originally anticipated to take up to eight weeks if the work was conducted during the day). Contractors have worked diligently and swiftly, with a tremendous amount of coordination to complete the task.
What's Next
All of Miller Avenue from Sunnyside to Almonte will be paved as part of the project. You can expect to see construction inbound (towards Downtown) and outbound (towards Almonte) in the upcoming weeks. Work includes grinding asphalt, grading the road, and then paving. The majority of this work will occur this summer so you can expect to see a new smooth uniform surface on Miller Avenue soon.
Inbound Miller Avenue from Valley Circle to Willow will be closed to allow the newly paved surface to cure (or dry). No cars, pedestrians (including pets) or bicycles are allowed on the surface. See advisory below. Traffic detours will be in place, so please plan ahead in terms of accessing businesses on Mainstreet. The other areas outside of the Mainstreet area will undergo a different type of paving process, which is less intensive in terms of the roadway reconstruction required. This paving process is referred to as "Cold In-Place Recycling" and is currently underway in various stages along the street. See upcoming construction details for more information, including upcoming road and driveway closures.
Landscape and street furniture features are starting to take shape. Benches have been installed, trash bins are on their way, and the custom bus shelter at at Miller and La Goma (in front of Jiffy Lube) is under construction. In the Passage, a wooden boardwalk at Presidio is also nearing completion, and a bridge connecting the Multi-Use Pathway (in the Marsh) will also be installed by fall. Trees, plantings, and rain gardens and other plantings will be installed later this summer into fall.
Please note the following:
- It is very important that you STAY OUT OF THE WORK ZONE:
- Motorists: Driving in the work zone is NOT PERMITTED. Do not go around or move barricades. Police enforcement is in effect.
- Pedestrians (including children and pets): obey crosswalk detours and do not cross into the work zone - the hot asphalt can melt shoes and cause serious burns.
- Cyclists - do not ride in the work zone - the hot asphalt can pop tires on contact.
- Expect shifting daily detours, traffic delays, and impacts to parking, side street and driveway access.
- Give yourself extra time if you are driving on Miller Ave.
- Check www.mvtraffic.org before your trip.
Emergency services will have access at all times and you should call 911 in the case of any emergency. Please be aware of temporary gravel roadway conditions and SLOW DOWN - Drive 15 mph in the Construction Zone. Enhanced Police enforcement of the speed limit in the construction zone is in effect.
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Upcoming Construction Details - Road and Driveway Closures
Dates subject to change.
Mainstreet (Valley Circle/Reed Street-Willow) The final stretch of "FDR" paving is underway, with nighttime work completed as part of this process.
- July 19 through July 21: Inbound roadway closed. 48 hour road cure for inbound mainstreet area from Wednesday through Friday evening.
Traffic will be shifted to the other side of the street. No access into inbound driveways and no left turns in this area. Pedestrian crossings located at Locust and Evergreen. Utilize transit stops outside of this area to ensure pick up/drop off.
Final Paving: This will involve temporary lane shifts while final paving is placed and cooled. Temporary driveway closures (up to 4 hours) will occur with paving in the slow lane. Please note there will be parking restrictions in place as part of this work to allow for paving and lane shifts.
- August 1: Inbound slow lane
- August 2: Inbound fast lane
- August 3: Outbound slow lane
- August 4: Outbound slow lane and curbside parking areas
- August 7: Outbound fast lane
- August 8: Median parking areas
Striping of the roadway will then occur in late August.
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Passage and Parkway (Sunnyside to Willow): Grinding and "CIR" paving currently underway.
- July 25-26: CIR paving. No curbside parking. Up to 30-minute driveway closures, as work progresses along the street.
- August 1: Final paving, inbound slow lane. No street parking or driveway access for up to 4 hours as pavement cools. Please be aware of construction in the area; coordinate with the construction crew onsite and/or avoid parking in this area for these days.
- August 2: Final paving, inbound fast lane. Up to 4 hour closure of fast lane and median parking as pavement cools. No curbside parking. Driveway access permitted.
- August 3: Final paving, outbound slow lane. No curbside parking all day. No driveway access for up to 4 hours as pavement cools.Please be aware of construction in the area; coordinate with the construction crew onsite and/or avoid parking in this area for the day.
Gateway and Marsh (Reed/Valley Circle to Almonte): Grinding and "CIR" paving currently underway.
Inbound:
- July 20-21. July 24: CIR paving. No street parking inbound. Up to 30-minute driveway closures, as work progresses along the street.*Gateway and Marsh (Camino Alto to Almonte) Grinding and "CIR" paving currently underway.
- July 31: Final paving, inbound slow lane. No street parking or driveway access for up to 4 hours as pavement cools. Please be aware of construction in the area; coordinate with the construction crew onsite and/or avoid parking in this area for the day.
- August 2: Final paving, inbound fast lane. Up to 4 hour closure of fast lane as pavement cools. Parking and driveway access permitted.
Outbound
- July 20-21, July 24: CIR paving. No street parking outbound. Up to 30-minute driveway closures, as work progresses along the street.
- August 3: Final paving, parking areas. Up to 1-day closure of curbside parking.
- August 4: Final paving, outbound slow lane .. No street parking or driveway access for up to 4 hours as pavement cools. Please be aware of construction in the area; coordinate with the construction crew onsite and/or avoid parking in this area for the day.
All dates subject to change.
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Miller Avenue Streetscape Project: Bike, Pedestrian and Transit Advisory
Bike Advisory: The City is advising that cyclists avoid using Miller Avenue during this time. There will be rough road conditions (such as dirt and gravel) and other construction-related circumstances that will make travel by bike difficult.
The City has established an Alternative Bike Route to reduce the number of cyclists that travel along Miller Avenue on a daily basis. Directional signs have been placed at key intersections to direct cyclists around the main section of Miller Avenue.
Click here to see the map of the Alternate Bike Route.
If cyclists do use Miller Avenue, we advise caution - please bike slowly, yield for pedestrians, and to stop at all stop signs. When the paving is taking place, it is very important that cyclists obey road closures and stay out of the work zone, as the hot asphalt can pop tires on contact.
Pedestrian Advisory: There will be a temporary pedestrian crossing at Evergreen and Locust, as well as access to cross Miller Avenue at Valley Circle and just West of Willow. All other crosswalks and pedestrian access crossing Miller Avenue will be closed. When the paving is taking place, it is very important that pedestrians (including children and pets) obey crosswalk detours and stay out of the work zone, as the hot asphalt can melt shoes and cause serious burns.
Transit Advisory: Bus stops in the work zone between Sunnyside to Almonte will be impacted by the paving work in upcoming weeks. For this reason, the City is advising that transit users use the stops outside of the work zone to avoid the possibility of missing the bus.
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Where Can I Park?
Please see below for a list of parking options. Construction may impact some of these areas - please look for signs.
4 Hour Parking - 4 hour parking is available in the Public Parking lot located at 411 Miller Avenue, across the street from Whole Foods.
2 Hour Parking - 2 hour public parking is available on the street when not needed for construction (please look for signs), and is also available in the front section of the Whole Foods parking lot located at 400 Miller Avenue.
Other Parking - Parking will be permitted in the Parkway and Gateway as permitted by the construction schedule. Please look for signs to indicate parking availability in these areas.
NEW Unresticted Parking - Parking is available in the Tam High parking lot at the front (Miller Avenue) side of the school.
Private Lots - Many businesses have private parking lots. Call ahead and ask if you can park in their private lot.
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City Council to Implement One Year Pilot Project to Retain the Single Lane Configuration in the Parkway (Millwood to Willow)
On July 17, the City Council agreed to implement a one-year pilot project retaining the single lane configuration in the Miller Avenue "Parkway" (Millwood to Willow). The Parkway was temporarily re-striped as a one-lane roadway in each direction last year to create additional unrestricted parking during the Miller Avenue Streetscape Project. Councilmembers thanked everyone for their participation in the discussion.
The City Council's decision followed a lengthy public comment and was supported by three members of the Council - Mayor Sloan, Vice Mayor Moulton-Peters, and Councilmember McEntee, with Councilmembers Wickham and McCauley favoring retention of the two lane configuration of the Streetscape Plan. Council received more than 75 communications and heard more than 20 speakers on the issue. Online petitions for and against the single lane configuration were also submitted, as was a petition to create curbside parking in front of the businesses on the 300 block of Miller Ave (WIGT Printing, Mill Valley Cleaners, and Mill Valley Music).
Council cited the fundamental feature of the project, which is making Miller Avenue a multi-modal or a "Complete Street" for all modes of travel, which means making it safer for all users whether they are in a car, on a bike, bus, or walking. They also listed reasons such as minimal impacts on travel times, creating parking, calming and slowing traffic to the allowable speed limits. The one-lane configuration also allows for a wider travel lane and a buffered bike lane.
"Safety has to always be our number one consideration whenever we are doing anything in our town," Mayor Jessica Sloan said. "For safety reasons, I am in favor of the one-lane configuration as it has been for the past year."
Two concerns raised by community members interested in changing the street back to a two-lane configuration were addressed: Emergency egress and traffic. In response to these concerns, Fire Chief Tom Welch and Police Chief Angel Bernal both stated that the Parkway area has adequate space for emergency evacuations, and if needed, they could use both sides (inbound and outbound) to create an evacuation route out of the City.
Councilmembers also noted that traffic studies indicate that one lane is sufficient to handle the volume of cars passing through the area, and observed that this section of roadway rarely experiences traffic backups. The majority of cut-through traffic occurs in other sections of Miller (off of La Goma and Montford), not on the side streets off of the Parkway. They acknowledged that traffic on East Blithedale remains a concern, but that the Council is actively addressing the factors which create traffic on this major corridor. They cited the Yellow School Bus program to lessen cross-freeway school trips and work with the County to improve signal synchronization at the East Blithedale/Hwy 101 overpass.
Council also noted cost considerations for the alternatives such as moving the median including the need to relocate utility poles to provide sufficient width for the bike lane and buffer area.
Increased enforcement will immediately be in place with the new pavement to keep vehicle speeds down while the City reviews further improvements to review and return the speed limit to 25 mph. Council expressed that they are taking the issue about safety seriously and have requested additional education and enforcement in the area. Council also reduced the speed limit on Field House turn, adjacent to Tam High School, which is another area of Miller Avenue, but it reinforces the overall message of safety and reduced speeds.
Councilmembers commented that the Miller Avenue Plan has received fine-tuning over the years, based on resident feedback, and that the Council embraces a philosophy of flexibility: Trying things out, gathering data, and making decisions based on data and community input. The one-year pilot program will allow the City to gauge the performance of the roadway configuration while local traffic returns to normal after the completion of the Miller Avenue Streetscape Project at the end of the year.
"There is a lot of speculation about what is going to happen, and that is what makes a pilot test such a good idea. We can actually find out once and for all," Vice Mayor Stephanie Moulton-Peters said. "You plan for flexibility, and I think that is what we are trying to do here"
Learn more here:
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Thank You for your Patience During Construction
The City of Mill Valley would like to send out a special thank you to the Mill Valley community for your continued patience during construction and to the M&G construction crew for its continued progress on the Miller Avenue Streetscape Project!
City and Construction Management staff are making every effort to mitigate impacts during construction and are working with the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce to notify local businesses and residents of the planned work. City and Construction Management staff are available to answer questions and review concerns.
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Contact Us:
Construction Specific Questions or Concerns:
Please contact 4LEAF Construction Management
Phone: (415) 328-6972
Please contact Linn Walsh, Assistant to the City Manager
City of Mill Valley
Miller Avenue Area Businesses: Do we have your contact info? If you are not sure, please contact Linn Walsh, Assistant to the City Manager at [email protected]. Please let us know your name, business name and address, email address and phone number.
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