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2010 MILL VALLEY/CORTE MADERA CORRIDOR STUDY
NTPP Project #2721

Last updated: May, 2013

For continuing project information on the 2013 Alto Tunnel Study - NTPP Project #1001 - visit the project webpage

For updates on projects within City of Mill Valley or Town of Corte Madera, please contact their Public Works Department staff.

Mill Valley to Corte Madera Bicycle and Pedestrian Corridor Study

Project Information

The Mill Valley to Corte Madera Bicycle and Pedestrian Corridor Study is available for download by using the links below and was accepted as complete by the Marin County Board of Supervisors on September 21, 2010.  Printed reference copies are available for viewing at the Mill Valley, Corte Madera, and Marin County Civic Center libraries, and the Mill Valley, Corte Madera, and Marin County public works offices.  Printed copies may also be purchased at the Marin County Department of Public Works, Civic Center, Room 304 for $90.00.


This Study was intended to give us information; it was not intended to select a specific course of action, nor eliminate or identify a preferred alternative.  It is not a “plan” but a study of design concepts and technical information related to the feasibility of improving facilities along these three corridors.   This study does not set policies on which improvements to implement, nor was it envisioned to develop consensus.  This study was conducted with a limited scope to produce technical information in order to help local policy makers to make informed decisions on next steps.

Please feel free to print your own copy of the document.  To save paper, the document is designed to be printed back to back (starting with page 4, the Table of Contents).

You will need Adobe Reader to view this document. Download Adobe Reader for free.

Study Download Options:

Full Version:

Segmented Version:

Study Appendices:

Project Information

This project studied the three alternative routes between Mill Valley and Corte Madera, including (1) the Horse Hill/Alto Hill Pathway and connecting roadways, (2) reopening the Alto Tunnel for bike/ped use, and (3) the Camino Alto/Corte Madera Avenue on-street route. The connection between Corte Madera and Mill Valley was identified as one of the top priority projects in the county, based on public input in the 2006 Marin County Bicycle Plan Update public workshops. Currently, bicyclists use either Camino Alto or the U.S. 101 “Horse Hill” bike path via local neighborhood streets.

While most of the corridor is in incorporated Mill Valley or Corte Madera, sections of the project are located within the unincorporated “Alto Area,” which is situated at the northeast edge of Mill Valley. The County of Marin is the lead agency on this multi-jurisdictional corridor study and worked closely with staff from Mill Valley, Corte Madera, Transportation Authority of Marin, Caltrans, and County Parks & Open Space.

What is this Study Intended to Do?

This Study was intended to give us information, not select a specific course of action or identify a preferred alternative. This is not a “plan” but a study of design concepts and technical information related to the feasibility of improving facilities along these three corridors.   This study does not set policies on which improvements to implement, nor was it envisioned to develop consensus.  This study was conducted with a limited scope to produce technical information in order to help local policy makers to make informed decisions on next steps.  

As with any project involving construction, appropriate contingency amounts are assumed to account for unexpected conditions.  The contingency rate differential between the three corridors reflects the degree of additional uncertainty for some corridor segments, most notably the tunnel.  

While this Study does not make direct comparisons between the three routes, it provides some of the additional information for interested parties and policy makers to make comparisons using their own set of weighted criteria (i.e. projected use may be higher importance than cost of implementation, or vice versa, for some). This is why the study does not make recommendations on which projects to move forward with, as these decisions require additional vetting given a number of factors such as political support and securing additional funding, which can prove difficult during uncertain budgetary times.

Decisions on whether or not to pursue progress on any conceptual improvements will be made during a separate process by your local decision makers, such as, but not limited to: DPW director and/or City Council and/or County staff/BOS, depending on which jurisdiction(s) would be responsible for constructing improvements.

Public Meetings and Information

There were two public workshops for this project – one in early 2009 and one in late 2009. The first public workshop was an opportunity for interested parties to review the project scope, existing conditions, and provide input and comments for each of the three alternative routes being studied. The second workshop reviewed conceptual improvements to each of the three alternative routes. 

Public Workshop #1 - March 4, 2009, 6:30 PM - Flyer (161 KB PDF)

Public Workshop # 1 was held on March 4, 2009 as an information meeting for Marin County residents to learn about the study scope for these 3 corridors and provide input on existing conditions, concerns, and opportunities. It was held at Edna Maguire Elementary School in Mill Valley
(map).  Videos and other records of the information presented at Public Workshop #1 are available below:

  • Interview with Craig Tackabery, Assistant Director, County of Marin Public Works (WMV format)
  • PowerPoint presentation with narrative (WMV format)
  • PowerPoint presentation (28.9 MB PDF)
During Public Workshop #1, community participants divided into three breakout groups to provide feedback on the three route alternatives presented.  Later, public agencies, the community at large and the project Technical Advisory committee each provided written comments on the existing conditions, opportunities and constraints of the three routes detailed at the workshop.  Summaries of these comments are available below:
  • Public Workshop #1 Comments by Breakout Session Group (1 MB PDF)
  • Public Workshop #1 Comments sorted by route & subject (1 MB PDF)
  • From the DRAFT Corridor Study: Appendix J-Public and Agency Comments Summary (719 KB PDF)
Public Workshop #2 - December 9, 2009, 6:30 PM - Flyer (302 KB PDF)

This was the final public workshop for this effort where Improvement Concepts along each of the three routes were presented (click here to download the presentation). Like Public Workshop #1, Public Workshop #2 was also held at Edna Maguire Elementary School (map).  The workshop reviewed the draft corridor study, which was released on December 3, 2009.  After the workshop, there was an additional public comment and input period until January 29, 2010.

A PDF of the presentation given at the workshop is available to download, or view the embedded presentation slideshow at the bottom of this page.

Public Comments

Compiled, verbatim public comments (without names) (1.1 MB PDF)
Summary of public comments - Appendix J
 
Marin County Bicycle Coalition Comment Letter, January 26, 2010 (1.4 MB PDF)
Rails to Trails Comment Letter, January 2010 (MS Word)
Scott Valley HOA Comment Letter, January 29, 2010 (2.2 MB PDF)
Transportation Alternatives for Marin Comment Letter, January 30, 2010 (2.6 MB PDF)

Mill Valley and Corte Madera City Council letter, July 6, 2010
(0.1 MB PDF)
Marin County Bicycle Coalition Letter, July 17, 2010 (0.2 MB PDF)
Marin County Bicycle Coalition Letter, September 21, 2010 (0.1 MB PDF)

Board of Supervisors Presentation

The Study was accepted by the Marin County Board of Supervisors at their regular meeting on Tuesday, September 21, 2010.

Press

What's happened since completion of the Study

  • New Class II bike lanes were added to Casa Buena Rd in Corte Madera.
  • Portions of Segments 2A and 2B along unincorporated Lomita Drive were implemented and funded by a grant from the Transportation Authority of Marin to the County of Marin.   Construction is complete. Contact Dan Dawson at ddawson@marincounty.org or (415) 473-6287 for more information.
  • An uphill climbing bike lane was constructed with the repaving of Camino Alto Rd., creating space for slower bicyclists riding up the steep hill.
  • Horse Hill Pathway along Highway 101 was repaved in 2016. 

Background and Technical Documents

Route Tours and Existing Condition Information

The following are pictorial tours of each of the three routes along with their corresponding location on the study map.  At the end of each tour is a list of some of the known noted existing conditions.  This information was presented at the Public Workshop #1.

Draft Evaluation Criteria (22 KB PDF)
The draft Evaluation Criteria was presented at the Public Workshop #1 for public input.
 
Bicycle and Pedestrian Collision Information (464 KB PDF)
This shows the number and location of collisions involving bicycles and/or pedestrians between 2004 and 2008.  Note that collision data collection indicates the nearest intersection closest to the actual accident location.

Bicycle and Pedestrian Plans

For More Information

For questions about this study, please contact Carey Lando, County of Marin project manager, at clando@marincounty.org or 415 473 5078.



Public Workshop #2 PowerPoint Presentation:

To view the presentation at full size, click the button.


 

 
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