Working Group Dives Into Greenbrae Interchange Project Monday Night

The Transportation Authority of Marin continues its quest to ease the tension and controversy around the proposed overhaul of Hwy. 101 around Greenbrae and the Twin Cities, hosting Monday night the second meeting of a working group tasked with finding alternatives to what’s been proposed.

The $143 million project that has been put forth by TAM and Caltrans seeks to make the busy interchange safer and reduce traffic congestion on Highway 101, improve local access to and from the highway, improve accessibility to local and regional transit and improve pedestrian and bicycle access. It features a 33-foot-tall flyover into Corte Madera from southbound Highway 101 and Sir Francis Drake Boulevard.

The appointed working group that emerged in recent weeks to give the project a once-over includes representatives by the two towns most directly affected – Corte Madera and Larkspur – as well as those from Marin County, San Anselmo and San Rafael. They are: Marin County Supervisor Katie Rice, TAM Chair and Tiburon Councilwoman Alice Fredericks, San Rafael Mayor Gary Phillips, Larkspur Mayor Dan Hillmer, Corte Madera Mayor Diane Furst, Corte Madera Councilwoman Carla Condon, Larkspur Councilman Brad Marsh and San Anselmo Councilman Tom McInerney.

The group spent the bulk of its debut meeting on March 25 focusing on logistics and dealing with “trust issues” between its members, according to the Marin Independent Journal. The group spent more than 90 minutes debating whether Fredericks should serve as the working group's chairwoman, eventually deciding to keep her as the chair but eliminating her ability to vote on anything, the paper reported.

In Monday’s second meeting, TAM project manager Bill Whitney said the group will focus more broadly on the project itself, specifically looking at the larger project area, the problems it seeks to address and the current and future traffic conditions in the area. That includes a look at TAM’s revised data on traffic collisions around the interchange, which Furst exposed as being flawed at a meeting in February.

In the aftermath of the data mishap, the Corte Madera Town Council approved a resolution that stated it does not consent to the closure of Nellen Avenue, a key component of what had been proposed. The language of the resolution suggested the Town Council would be open to exploring alternate project designs with Caltrans.

Whitney said the working group is designed to get a wide range of community input not just on the proposed project but on the larger problems it sought to address.

“This group has been put together to focus on a balanced solution for the area,” Whitney said. “We want all the voices to be heard and our intent is to come into this with a fresh start.  We have a lot of history here and we’re very open to new ideas.”

The group is set to meet twice a month through the end of July, at which time TAM officials hope to receive a set of recommendations on how best to proceed, Whitney said.

The 411: The Greenbrae Corridor Advisory Working Group meets Monday at 4 p.m. in the Tamalpais Room at 750 Lindaro Street, San Rafael. Click here for more info.