Supes invest in Springs road project

The upgrade of Highway 12 through the Springs is back on the drawing board after the Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to support the project with $450,000 from the county’s general fund.

Supervisor Valerie Brown, in perhaps her last vote on a measure specific to her Sonoma Valley district, thanked the board for supporting what she called “a legacy project.”

The master plan calls for sidewalks, streetlights and safety enhancements to the section of Highway 12 from Boyes Boulevard north to Agua Caliente Road.

The project was deemed dead after the area’s redevelopment agency, which had pledged millions towards the improvements, was dissolved early this year.

The total price tag is upwards of $10 million, but officials think the new money could make the project eligible for state and federal road funds.

Phase one of the project, between Boyes Boulevard and Encinas Avenue to the south, was completed in 2010. The county sold $15 million in bonds in 2008 to fund both phases, but the state disallowed all agreements as part of the dismantling of the statewide redevelopment system.

Tuesday’s vote was the first time the board has allocated general fund dollars to continue what had been a redevelopment project. The $450,000 will go towards initial planning and engineering work.