SR-29 Napa Valley Channelization Project Complete

State of California • Department of Transportation

NEWS RELEASE

Date: September 1, 2016
District: District 4 – Oakland
Contact: Vince Jacala
Phone: (510) 286-5206

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

State Route 29-Napa Valley Channelization Project Complete
Bringing Increased Safety

NAPA COUNTY — Caltrans joined the Napa Valley Transportation Authority (NVTA), Napa County, the city of St. Helena, and the Napa Valley Wine Train today for a ribbon cutting celebration for the $16.7 million State Route 29-Channelization Project, which brings multiple safety improvements for this vital Napa Valley artery.

The project widened SR-29 between Mee Lane in Napa County and Charter Oak Avenue in the city of St. Helena. It also rehabilitated the pavement, widened the highway shoulders to standard width and constructed a new two-way left turn lane. These improvements now make it safer and more convenient for motorists entering and exiting nearby businesses, homes and tourist destinations. It also improves the Highway 29 intersection at Whitehall Lane which makes it safer for motorists and train traffic, as well as for the cyclists who now have a dedicated bike path.

“This $16.7 million investment in our infrastructure is money well spent,” said Caltrans District Director Bijan Sartipi. “Residents, businesses, and Napa Valley visitors will now benefit from improved safety and shorter travel times.”

The project also benefitted from collaborative innovation which Caltrans and its contractor San Rafael based Ghilotti Brothers Inc. implemented during construction, which started in June 2015.

“Our construction team was also able to decrease the use of temporary concrete barriers and temporary paving,” noted Sartipi. “This improved access to businesses during construction and reduced construction time.”

With this innovation, Caltrans and its project partners worked together to deliver these improvements to the public. It’s a culmination of several years of partnering and planning.

“It’s been incredible to see such an impressive display of collaboration across all levels of government for such a sustained period of time on this crucial project,” said Rep. Mike Thompson. “As a lifelong St. Helena resident and one of the approximate 22,000 drivers who travel on Highway 29 every day, I join our entire county in looking forward to seeing
construction completed and traffic conditions improve.”

“We appreciate the patience of our county residents during construction. It’s been a long process to bring this project to completion,” said Napa County Supervisor Diane Dillon. “But these major improvements will benefit the upper Napa Valley and the entire region for many years to come.”

Peter White, Napa Valley Transportation Authority Chair said, “This project has truly been decades in the making. The county worked in partnership with Caltrans and several other agencies from the start with planning all the way through construction. So it is satisfying to see the direct benefits to our county residents and region.”

Alan Galbraith, Mayor of St. Helena said, “I want to thank Caltrans and everyone who worked on this very important project. Residents of St. Helena have been waiting awhile to see these improvements, and now that they’re here, travel through our region will be much safer with reduced traffic back-ups.”

For more information on the SR-29 Channelization Project visit:
http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist4/projects/NAP29Channelization/

Or follow Caltrans on Twitter at:
https://mobile.twitter.com/CaltransD4

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