Petaluma secures funding for second SMART station

“This marks a significant milestone that Petalumans have been waiting for since the inception of SMART service in Sonoma County,” said Petaluma Mayor Teresa Barrett.|

A years-long quest to build a second railroad station in Petaluma has taken a big step forward, after officials with the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District and the City of Petaluma announced last week that they have secured $13 million in a state grant to help improve the city’s transportation system.

In a joint news release Friday afternoon, officials announced the money will come from the California State Transportation Agency’s State Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program, which includes more than $10 million to help build the Petaluma North SMART station at Corona Road and North McDowell Boulevard.

“This marks a significant milestone that Petalumans have been waiting for since the inception of SMART service in Sonoma County,” said Petaluma Mayor Teresa Barrett in the news release. “This successful regional partnership delivers for our community, our region and our future.”

The $13 million also includes more than $1.7 million to replace the city’s bus fleet with electric vehicles. City transit manager Jared Hall said, while officials have not yet determined specifically which buses will be purchased, they do know they will be considering zero-emission, battery electric buses that will not require direct connection to any overhead electric wires during operation.

“We’re incredibly excited about the TIRCP grant funding as it will allow us to purchase the first zero-emission buses in the Petaluma Transit fleet,” Hall said in a Monday email.

City manager Peggy Flynn noted that the electrification of Petaluma’s transit fleet will also help the city achieve its goal of becoming carbon-neutral by the year 2030, and that the grant funds for the Petaluma North station will provide more opportunities for eastside commuters.

The grant will also allow for improvements for up to 30 bus stops citywide by adding shelters, benches, trash cans, real-time information displays, concrete accessibility pads, solar security lighting, maps, and other amenities, Hall added.

Bus stop improvements are estimated to use roughly $412,000 of the grant money, while other transit facility improvements and electrification will use $940,000.

Part of the funds will also go toward improvements to the North McDowell Boulevard railroad crossing, said SMART communications and marketing manager Matt Stevens. That includes railroad track reconstruction at the intersection, a walkway across the tracks connecting with other sidewalks for pedestrian and bicyclist safety, and a crosswalk with signals.

The grant is a part of a larger portion of funds awarded to the county totaling $25 million.

Timing on construction of the new Petaluma SMART station is still pending.

The SMART station project was previously slated to be paired with a 131-unit affordable and supportive housing development by the Danco Group, but Flynn noted the state grant does not include funding for housing construction. Further funding is currently being pursued by Danco, Flynn added.

Amelia Parreira is a staff writer for the Argus-Courier. She can be reached at amelia.parreira@arguscourier.com or 707-521-5208.

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