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SOSroads Comments on Sonoma County's Draft Comprehensive Transportation Plan
January 30, 2026
Chris Barney, Senior Transportation Planner (
Sonoma County Transportation and Climate Authorities
Re: Comments on Draft Comprehensive Transportation Plan
Dear Mr. Barney:
Save Our Sonoma Roads (SOSroads) is an all-volunteer citizens’ group that advocates for an improved allocation of public funds to Sonoma County roads. We appreciate the opportunity to comment on the 218-page draft Comprehensive Transportation Plan. We focus on its guiding principles, the implementation of which will negatively impact Sonoma County’s roads. As discussed below, we think this would be a terrible mistake and could repeat history.
The overarching vision is to transition our transportation network to zero-emissions by 2050 (p. 11) by prioritizing funding for zero-emissions strategies and taking “bold steps to achieve a zero-emission transportation network” (p. 12). Achieving zero emissions within 24 years is not going to happen. Goal 4 embodies outdated and unrealistic assumptions. See, e.g., Bill Gates, A New Way to Look at the Problem: Three Tough Truths About Climate (October 27, 2025).
A zero emissions vision and goal will dictate which projects to implement. The SCTCA should explain how zero emissions could possibly be achieved, including the assumptions. Goal 4 would require massive federal and state subsidies which have recently diminished and seem unlikely to resume. Zero emissions would require banning every single gasoline-powered car and truck (including those based elsewhere) from our roads by 2050. This would face massive political and legal resistance. Despite generous federal subsidies, car manufacturers have lost about $100 billion making electric vehicles (EVs). This is unsustainable. Many consumers like EVs, but most do not. Polls indicate that almost half of EV purchasers regret doing so. Many who own an EV use it only for short drives and prefer gasoline-powered cars for longer trips. Forcibly retiring gasoline-powered cars would especially disadvantage people of limited means.
Setting an unachievable vision and goal is harmful. Decision makers will squander precious transportation funds on projects that reduce emissions by minuscule amounts (“prioritize zero-emissions strategies,” p. 12) and avoid practical, cost-effective projects. The SCTCA should require a cost-benefit analysis (dollars per ton of CO2 avoided) for every major project and explain its benefits, if any, on climate change. Our road system deteriorated greatly from 1990-2010 when County supervisors foolishly and negligently stopped maintaining it. SOSroads was founded to correct this very expensive mistake regarding the County’s $2 billion asset.
Because the plan focuses on public transportation (“emphasize strategies that incentivize transit” p. 12), it should provide information on transit’s financial costs. For example, what is the actual cost of a SMART train ride (total expenditures per year divided by the number of passengers)? It seems to exceed $100 per ride. Decision makers may think this is reasonable, but the public might not. Typically, such information is hidden. In the post-COVID era, many people avoid public transit for health and other reasons. BART is an example of this nationwide trend: ridership collapsed in 2020–2022, and by late 2025 it has recovered only to about half of the pre-pandemic ridership. The plan does not seem to account for this.
We strongly endorse Goal 2 (p. 11) with respect to spending maintenance dollars efficiently and effectively to achieve a safe and well-maintained transportation infrastructure. Similarly, we support the plan’s efforts to “maintain and upgrade existing transportation infrastructure.” The Go Sonoma Act revenues must be spent at least 38% on smooth and maintained roads and 27% on moving traffic and improving safety. We trust this will not change.
The SCTCA should undertake a statistically-sound survey to rank priorities. The plan (pp. 19-20) justifies many of its actions by citing a web-based survey of 668 participants. Surveys using self-selected respondents with low response rates are notoriously inaccurate. Especially suspect is the survey’s finding that driving “was the lowest priority, with over 70% ranking it 5th or 6th.” We believe that most residents, especially rural residents and older adults (22%-27%, Fig. 3-8), prefer to drive when they shop for groceries, attend medical/dental appointments, go for a hike, or enjoy a restaurant. We doubt that for 5-mile trips they will want to use “non-auto and active modes of transportation” (p. 13). While Sonoma County often enjoys good weather, rain, cold, darkness, and excessive heat limit the practicality of walking or biking. Young ideologues who live in city centers should not foist ineffective transportation policies on the elderly (see Goal 1).
We hope the SCTCA will revise its goals to focus on an excellent road system and not sacrifice our transportation future by promoting unrealistic climate change goals that accomplish little, if anything. We agree that “actions that are made today will impact future generations,” p. 12.
Sincerely,
Craig S. Harrison
President
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Pavement Preservation Projects for 2026 and 2027
Sonoma County Public Infrastructure has released its list of proposed pavement preservation projects for the 2026 and 2027 construction seasons, a total of over 43 miles. The supervisors may approve these on June 3, 2025. The funds for these projects were allocated in part as the result of advocacy by SOSroads and its members.
To see the list of recommend roads, including road names, locations, pavement treatments, cost, and other information, click here.
Note that only portions of most listed roads are planned for pavement improvement, not the entire lengths of the roads. Among the portions of roads that are proposed for improvement are the following:
District 1: Bennett Valley Road, Napa Road, Lomita Avenue.
District 2: Bloomfield Road, Helman Lane, Paula Lane, Petaluma Blvd North, Rainsville Road
District 3: Santa Rosa Avenue
District 4: Dry Creek Road, Dutcher Creek Road, Geysers Road, Lambert Bridge Road, Old Redwood Highway.
District 5: Burnside Road, Cherry Ridge Road, Fort Ross Road, Joy Road, Occidental Road, Pleasant Hill Road.
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Sonoma County Completes All 2024 Road Improvement Projects
The Sonoma County Department of Public Infrastructure completed its pavement preservation projects for two lists of roads during the 2024 construction season. Funds from the pavement preservation programs repaired portions of 34 roads totaling about 18 miles. Click here to see the list. Portions of another 11 roads totaling about 9.5 miles were repaired using settlement funds from the County’s settlement of fire damage claims against Pacific Gas & Electric Company. Click here to see the list.
All pavement preservation projects for 2024 and 2025 were previously approved by the board of supervisors in April 2023. The complete list of roads for pavement preservation projects in 2024 and 2025, including road names, pavement treatments, cost, and other information can be found here and a map of the projects schedule for 2024 and 2025 here.
Funding for the projects on these lists is partially the result of the advocacy of Save Our Sonoma Roads and its members, although we had no role in deciding which projects were included in the list.
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Current Condition of County Roads
Periodically Public Infrastructure (formerly Department of Transportation and Public Works) hires a consultant to assess the conditions of Sonoma County’s 1,349 miles of paved roads (the county also has 17 miles of gravel roads). The current version of this information can be found in Harris & Associates “2022 Pavement Management Program Update.”
The report contains a wealth of information on Pavement Condition Index (PCI), which is a measure of road condition. It uses a scale from 1 to 100, with 100 being perfect. Below 50 the condition of a road is classified as "poor" and below 25 a road is classified as being in "very poor" condition.
Overall county roads in 2022 have a Pavement Condition Index of 53, an improvement from 52 the previous year. The major collectors and arterials are in the best condition, ranging between 69 and 78 and classified as very good. Local roads account for almost two-thirds of the county road system and have a PCI of 42. Many are in very bad shape, with 17 percent being ranked as poor and 25% ranked as very poor.
Appendix I (PDF pages 27-90) contains the current Pavement Condition Index for each road section of Sonoma County, listed alphabetically.
The county has made considerable progress in recent years, but still has a long way to go.
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2022 Pavement Condition Index
The Harris & Associates “2022 Pavement Management Program Update” provides the results of a visual survey of Sonoma County’s 1,349 miles of roads during 2022. The report contains a wealth of information on Pavement Condition Index, a measure of road condition on a scale from 1 to 100, with 100 being perfect. Below 50 is considered "poor" and below 25 "very poor."
The executive summary states that overall county roads in 2022 have a Pavement Condition Index of 53. The major collectors and arterials are in the best condition, ranging between 69 and 78. However, 42 percent of Sonoma County roads (especially local roads) are considered to be poor or very poor.
Appendix I (PDF pages 27-90) contains the current Pavement Condition Index for each road section of Sonoma County, listed alphabetically.
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Pavement Preservation Projects for 2024 and 2025
Sonoma County Public Infrastructure (formerly Transportation and Public Works Department) has issued its list of proposed pavement preservation projects for the 2024 and 2025 construction seasons. The supervisors may approve these on April 18, 2023. The funds for these projects were allocated in part as the result of advocacy by SOSroads and its members.
To see the two-page list of recommend roads, including road names, locations, pavement treatments, cost, and other information, click here.
Note that only portions of most listed roads are planned for pavement improvement, not the entire lengths of the roads. Among the portions of roads that are proposed for improvement are the following:
- District 1: Los Guilicos Avenue, Railroad Avenue, Solano Avenue, Orange Avenue.
- District 2: Chapman Lane, Cyprus Avenue, Lowell Avenue, Minnesota Avenue, Penngrove Avenue.
- District 3: West Robles Avenue, Barbara Drive, Eddy Drive.
- District 4: Mill Creek Road, Starr Road, Coffee Lane, Leslie Road.
- District 5: Bay Flat Road, Skaggs Spring Road, Coleman Valley Road, Scenic Avenue.
Here is a map of the planned projects
Other information of interest includes:
• County of Sonoma Summary Report
• Tier 2 PG&E Settlement Project Modifications
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Jan 2022: Transportation and Public Works Updates the 2014 Long-Term Road Plan
In early January 2022, the Department of Transportation and Public Works updated the County’s 2014 Long Term Roads Plan. The current update (Summary Report) highlights accomplishments of the Pavement Preservation Program since the Board began increasing local funding contributions in 2012. This change in direction was largely in response to Save Our Sonoma Roads efforts that begin in autumn 2011.
The Department’s map depicts the completed and planned segments of its Pavement Preservation Program between 2012 – 2023 (Map of Preservation Completed and Planned). At this time 412 miles have been refurbished which will increase to 456 miles by 2023 (Pavement Preservation Cumulative Totals).
During this period Sonoma County’s overall pavement condition index has improved from 44 to 52 (County Overall Pavement Condition). The major collector roads have improved from 73 to 79, and the minor collector roads from 46 to 55 (Annual Pavement Condition by Functional Class). Local roads still have a long way to go, but have improved from 34 to 39.
Sonoma County apparently contributes more of its general fund to pavement preservation than any other county in California (General Fund Contributions by County).
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