Dedicate $3 Million to Highway 101 Overpass Rebuild - YES

When CalTrans announced with rather short notice that they intended to rebuild the Highway 101 overpass at Tamalpais Drive, the Town scrambled to work with the community in providing our input before the feedback window closed. Corte Madera residents found that, of the six options for the remodel offered by CalTrans, several didn't come close to meeting the community's needs for safety and accessibility, and only one appeared to be a good fit for the community.

As a more cynical observer might expect, CalTrans told us they didn't have enough funding to implement the selected option, known as "4B." The situation got worse when, just a few weeks later, they told us the funding gap was even larger than originally suggested, by a matter of millions of dollars.

We heard our community loud and clear, and have since been working closely with the state to find a path forward. I have personally participated in several meetings with CalTrans staff and Senate Majority Leader Mike McGuire, and we had a major breakthrough last month, when the state agreed to provide millions in additional funding—as long as Corte Madera was willing to chip in $3 million as well. I felt this was a fair ask, and after a careful assessment of the Town's expected revenues and expenses for the coming years, Town staff agreed this approach could be recommended in good confidence to the Council.

An important caveat: if CalTrans for some reason ends up pursuing an option other than 4B, Corte Madera's commitment of funds will be voided.

I want to thank Senator McGuire and CalTrans for their partnership to date, and I look forward to continuing this productive collaboration so we can deliver the overpass that Corte Madera needs and deserves, which is truly the most critical piece of transit infrastructure in our town.