“Cavedale Road serves as a key route for nearby residents and emergency services, and repairing two landslide sites at once required careful planning and coordination,” said Chair Hermosillo. “This work restores full use of the road and significantly improves its resilience during severe weather.”
The landslide areas, located within walking distance of one another, required distinct engineering approaches based on site conditions:
- Site 3 (upper slide area): Crews removed unstable slide material, reshaped the hillside and installed fabric and grouted rock slope protection to control erosion and stabilize the embankment. The road structure was then rebuilt with compacted aggregate base and a new asphalt concrete surface, allowing this section to be completed first and used for emergency passage during construction.
- Site 2 (lower slide area): Repairs included deep excavation and embankment slope reconstruction with fabric and grouted rock slope protection, construction of a reinforced retaining wall using steel soldier piles and concrete panels, and installation of drainage systems. Ground anchors were installed to secure the wall over the long term, followed by final paving and guardrail roadway safety improvements.
“The Cavedale community worked closely with the County as this project moved forward,” said Johannes J. Hoevertsz, director of Sonoma County Public Infrastructure. “That collaboration helped us deliver a roadway that is safer, stronger and better prepared for the conditions we’re seeing this winter.”
Completion of Cavedale Road follows recent reopenings of North Fitch Mountain Road, West Soda Rock Lane and Westside Road. While crews continue to respond to weather-related impacts elsewhere, construction on Wohler Bridge is scheduled to resume this spring, and Giovanetti Road remains in design with work planned later this year.
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