While trains won't roll through Petaluma until at least 2016, the city is gearing up with a variety of projects to prepare for the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit's arrival.
At Monday's city council meeting, the installation of a railroad exit gate was approved at the Caulfield Lane grade crossing. The gate will prevent vehicles from entering the tracks when a train crosses, and alert drivers when it's safe to exit. SMART will construct the gate for an estimated $222,753, which the city's traffic mitigation fees will fund. The city council also approved the transfer of 1.65 acres of property to SMART, in an area known as Haystack Landing. SMART plans to replace the 100-year-old swing bridge with a new, more efficient bascule bridge over the Petaluma River, east of the Highway 101 bridge. The bridge and rail tracks north of the Petaluma River will be relocated onto the Haystack Landing property.
Public Utilities Director Dan St. John said the Haystack Landing property was given to SMART in exchange for the construction of an underpass for the city's river trail.
"Our number one priority is keeping SMART on track," St. John said, "but we had a very high priority of saying, 'How are we going to get this trail under the tracks?'"
In addition to city council approvals, Sgt. Ken Savano and Petaluma police officers are working proactively this week to keep SMART rails "safe and clear" for the future passenger service.
Savano said officers are focusing on educating homeless people who camp along the rail of the dangers of living near or walking along the tracks once service begins.
"This is an ongoing effort to develop safe behavior," Savano said. "We're keeping an eye out and breaking bad habits."
(Contact Allison Jarrell at allison.jarrell@arguscourier.com)
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