Let’s continue this investment in county roads

Petaluma drivers searching for smooth asphalt may soon have to look no further than just beyond the city limits.

Sonoma County transportation officials are embarking on a two-year effort to pave 170 miles of roads, including several that lead into Petaluma. The county’s renewed investment in road repair - $65 million in the past five years - is commendable, especially at a time when local municipalities are having to help themselves. The city of Petaluma should take note.

State and federal gas tax revenue - the traditional pavement funding mechanism - is slumping due in part to more fuel efficient vehicles. Until lawmakers come up with an alternative to the gas tax, cities and counties must commit more general fund resources to repair the roads, or pass a local funding measure.

The county failed miserably the last time it asked voters to raise their sales tax. Measure A, a general tax that was billed as a road repair measure, was soundly defeated at the polls in 2015. But even as that measure failed, the county has still invested in transportation infrastructure at historic levels.

All of this investment in the past five years, however, will still only tackle about one-fifth of the county’s 1,379-mile road network. An estimated $56 million per year is needed to repair the network to “very good” condition within 10 years.

Clearly, the county’s general fund cannot shoulder the entire load, and some form of new revenue must be identified. While it seems too early to go back to voters this year, there may be an opportunity in 2018.

Measure M, the countywide 20-year sales tax measure that has funded much of the Highway 101 widening work and local road projects, could be up for renewal in as early as two years. While we hope that most of the highway project will have been funded by that time, the additional revenue from an extended Measure M could be best used for county road repairs.

We encourage the county to continue its investment in roads as it improves the economy, environment, tourism and quality of life.

Roads slated for pavement in the south county this summer include Ely Road, Corona Road, Frates Road, Bodega Avenue and Skillman Lane. Within two years, nearly every road leading to Petaluma will have been repaved up to the edge of the city. If Petaluma hasn’t figured out its road woes by then - a problem as bad if not worse than that of the county - then it will be a jarring welcome to the city for motorists.

Petaluma needs its own local source of funding to repair city streets, which have consistently been ranked as among the worst in the Bay Area. We are heartened by discussions at the city council about placing a sales tax ballot measure on the November ballot, and we hope that the council follows through with a tax dedicated to fixing the streets.

In several years, once all of this overdue maintenance is complete, we hope there is a smooth transition for drivers so that they can’t tell where the county roads end and Petaluma’s streets begin.