Petaluma streets slated for repairs

Fifty Petaluma streets are in line for improvements after the city approved a list of spending priorities for new gas tax revenue.

Petaluma expects to receive $1.02 million this year from SB1, the state gas tax increase Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law last year. The money can only be spent on designated transportation infrastructure projects. The city council on Monday sent its list of proposed street repairs to the state for approval.

Roads listed for repairs include main thoroughfares like East Washington Street and Stony Point Road, potholed neighborhood streets like Keokuk Street and tiny cul-de-sacs like Allegheny Court. The city used a system called Street Saver to evaluate road conditions and prioritize the rehabilitation projects, according to a city report.

Some of the roads will receive a slurry seal, which is a treatment to extend the life of a cracking street. Other roads are slated for asphalt grinding and overlay, a technique to repair roads in worse condition. The money is budgeted for 2018-19 and work is set to be completed in 2019, according to the report.

SB1 was the first state gas tax increase in more than 20 years, and lawmakers said it would address a significant backlog in state and highway maintenance. An initiative to repeal the gas tax increase could be on the November ballot. If passed, it would threaten future funding from the measure.