City Council approved the request to ask Sonoma County Transportation Authority (SCTA) officials to reallocate $9.5 million in regional Measure M sales tax revenue from the Fulton Road Improvements - Phase 2 project to the Hearn Avenue Interchange Improvements – Phase 3, a $28 million construction project.

Funding from Measure M - Traffic Relief Act, comes from a 20-year county sales tax voters approved in November 2004. A portion of Measure M funding helps support local street projects (LSP) program including the Santa Rosa Capital Improvement Projects for Hearn Avenue Interchange Improvements, Fulton Road Improvements and Farmer’s Lane Extension. The SCTA also allocates funding through the LSP program for annual roadway maintenance projects in Santa Rosa such as the Annual Slurry Seal treatment on Neighborhood Streets and the Annual Pavement Preventative Maintenance on Arterial Streets.

Santa Rosa Measure M Capital Improvement Projects status in phases;

Hearn Avenue Interchange Improvements 
Phase 1 – widen Santa Rosa Avenue from Colgan Ave to Yolanda Ave (COMPLETE),
Phase 2 – widen Hearn Ave from Corby Ave to Dutton Ave (COMPLETE),
Phase 3 – reconstruct Hearn Ave Overcrossing and Interchange (Design at 90%).

Fulton Road Improvements
Phase 1a – widen Fulton Road from Piner Road to Wood Road (COMPLETE)
Phase 1b – widen Fulton Road from Guerneville Road to Piner Road (Design at 90%)
Phase 2 – convert existing signalized intersection of Fulton Road and SR12 into a full interchange (Not Started)

Farmers Lane Extension 
Phase 1 –Bennett Valley Road to Kawana Springs Road (Design at 90%)
Phase 2 –Kawana Springs Road to Petaluma Hill Road (Design at 90%)

The Hearn Avenue Interchange Improvements - Phase 3 final design is scheduled for completion in Fall 2019. If funding for the Hearn Ave Interchange Phase 3 project is secured by the summer of 2020, then construction could begin as early as January 2021.

More About Measure M

The Traffic Relief Act for Sonoma County (Measure M) is a 20-year, ¼ cent sales tax voters passed by more than two-thirds in November 2004 to deliver multi-modal transportation improvements throughout the county.  Sonoma County Transportation Authority (SCTA) allocates Measure M funds to the County of Sonoma and its nine cities to be used to maintain local streets, fix potholes, accelerate the widening of Highway 101 for High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes, improve local street operations, restore and enhance transit services, support the development of passenger rail service, and build safe bicycle and pedestrian routes. The funds are dedicated towards specific programs and projects specified in the voter approved Expenditure Plan.