news BoFax Slide Repairs Will Prevent Access

County sources state that much-awaited repairs should start this month on the eight-mile section of Fairfax-Bolinas Road which has been closed since the March 11, 2016 mudslide.

The Marin County Board of Supervisors awarded a $305,692 construction contract to Engineered Soil Repairs of Walnut Creek on August 16, and the project could be finished by November – even earlier if things go well, according to County engineers.

The prime cycling route and roadway was partly closed after the March storm for more than five months because the County of Marin’s Department of Public Works (DPW) deemed it unsafe. Designing the appropriate repairs and satisfying contracting and funding requirements took most of the summer. Fairfax-Bolinas Road had beewn closed for about a week between its Shoreline Highway junction at the north end of Bolinas Lagoon and Ridgecrest Road on Mount Tamalpais.

But the section between Ridgecrest and the Meadow Club in Fairfax has remained closed to vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians.

The root of the closure was between Azalea Hill and Ridgecrest, where three slides located in close proximity to the Cataract Falls trailhead impacted the roadway. Geotechnical experts and engineers have assessed what caused the slides and what preventative measures were needed to prevent future slides in the area. New sections of the road, shoulders and barriers were designed and locations for reinforcement pilings and concrete walls were identified.

Fairfax-Bolinas Road has always been popular with recreational cyclists, and some have chosen to bypass barriers, ignore postage signage and ride on the closed section. “We understand that cyclists want to enjoy a car-free experience on beautiful roads,” said DPW Principal Civil Engineer Ernest Klock, “but it is about to turn into a construction zone and we hope everybody will respect the closure while the workers are doing their jobs.”