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7/5/2023
The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District (SMART) last week announced it received a $30 million grant from the California Transportation Commission to help fund the Windsor and Healdsburg rail extensions.
The funds — which originate from the Senate Bill 1 Solutions for Congested Corridors Program — will cover the cost to complete the Windsor extension and begin engineering and construction of critical segments for the Healdsburg extension, SMART officials said in a press release. Now fully funded and 30% complete, the Windsor extension will restore passenger- and freight-rail service to northern Sonoma County, they said.
The Healdsburg and Windsor extensions are estimated to cost $160.5 million and $70 million, respectively. SMART will need $82.2 million more to fully fund the Healdsburg project, which calls for the construction of a rail and bicycle/pedestrian pathway segment from Front Street to Bailhache Avenue, including the replacement of a bridge spanning the Russian River.
Overall, the extensions are expected to reduce traffic in the highly congested Highway 101 corridor, increase employment opportunities and enhance rail resiliency, SMART officials said. The project also supports the state’s climate action plan by improving first- and last-mile connectivity, creating a network of safe bicycle and pedestrian facilities and integrating climate-adaptive design to endure extreme weather events, they said.