PETALUMA, Calif. — Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit is set to begin construction of a long-planned second station in the city of Petaluma.
The SMART board this week approved a $32.5 million contract to build the Petaluma North station at Corona Road and McDowell Boulevard, about 3 miles northwest of the existing downtown station, the Marin Independent Journal reports. The station was part of the original plan for a 70-mile service reaching as far north as Cloverdale; the northern portion of that plan remains under development.
Stacy and Witbeck and Ghilotti Bros. will build the facility. A groundbreaking will be held Nov. 9, with opening projected in late 2024. The project also includes a pedestrian bridge and reconstruction of the grade crossing at McDowell Boulevard.
The new station will be the 13th on the 45-mile SMART route from Larkspur to Sonoma County Airport. A 3.1-mile northward extension to Windsor, Calif., is expected to open in 2025 [see “SMART extension work to resume …,” Trains News Wire, Jan. 30, 2023].
I think Trains is leaving the word “million” out of the second paragraph. Either that or SMART is getting the deal of the century from Stacy and Whitbeck/Ghilotti Brothers!
More seriously, this is a smart infill station. Traffic circulation in and around Petaluma is problematic to say the least and I have a feeling this will make rail commutes more attractive for locals, to destinations both north and south.
And what a great deal for whomever is footing the bill for this edifice!