photo credit: Googlemaps
New, smooth surface to replace cracking pavement

If you've driven along State highway 12 between Santa Rosa and Sebastopol, you may have noticed a bit of activity. 

Construction workers and heavy equipment have mostly completed laying new asphalt from Llano Road to Fulton Street. But work is far from winding down.

Over the next month, crews will move on to resurfacing the freeway section between Fulton and E Street---with new concrete.

"Caltrans is doing some major work on highway 12 through Santa Rosa. A lot of this work, I'm told, hasn't been done in, in several, several years," said Caltrans spokesperson Vince Jacala.

Concrete, more costly, but more durable than asphalt, also requires more time to cure--or set and reach its design strength. That more complicated work will involve occasional lane closures.

And late in September, when work is scheduled on the road's interchange with highway 101, expect three nights of full closures in both directions from Dutton Avenue to E Street.

"The overnight closure starts at eight o'clock at night until eight o'clock in the morning on Friday the twenty-second, Saturday September twenty-third and Sunday September twenty-forth. Hopefully, it will be re-opened by eight o'clock in the morning on that Monday, September twenty-fifth, but of course, if we get the work done sooner, Caltrans and our contractor, we will open the highway as soon as possible," Jacala said.

He added that the closure allows crews to accomplish more in less time, with less risk.

"It's a little bit easier and safer for us to just close the highway at a time when it's not as busy during commute times, and then, like this project, do long stretches, so we don't have to come back and do little stretches," Jacala said before adding a plea for understanding.

"We just want to thank everyone for their patience during these overnight weekend closures. We realize that this is an inconvenience for everybody, but we just want to make sure that the highway is safe and we are maintaining it for everybody," Jacala said.