Benicia To Close Boat Launch For Paving

BENICIA, CA — The City of Benicia Public Works Department announced the closure of the West Ninth Street boat launch on Wednesday, Aug. 25, for paving.

The closure will provide the contractor, Ghilotti Brothers, Inc., full access to resurface — grind and pave — West Ninth Street between the boat launch and West K Street. The street will reopen on Thursday, Aug. 26.

An alternative boat launch is available at the southern end of East Fifth Street at the Benicia Marina for a fee of $5, payable at the Harbor Master’s Office.

“This street resurfacing project will bring needed improvements to our roadway network,” said Public Works Director William Tarbox. “Partially funded by a CalRecycle Rubberized Pavement Grant and Benicia’s Measure C, the one-cent on the dollar local sales tax measure, we want to thank Benicia residents for their continued support in funding important infrastructure projects.”

The resurfacing process for West Ninth Street will remove the top layer of asphalt through grinding and will replace it with conventional asphalt concrete.

This work is part of the city's Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Citywide Street Resurfacing Project. Funds for the project were approved in February 2020 and are from Solid Waste Franchise Fees, Senate Bill 1 and Benicia Measure C funds.

The City Council in October 2020 approved additional money for the project from the General Fund, and on May 18, approved a $4.39-million construction contract with Ghilotti Brothers, Inc. of San Rafael for the citywide project.

The City Council also approved a $163,965 contract with Coastland Civil Engineers of Fairfield for construction management and inspection services.

Further information about the Citywide Street Resurfacing Project, including a construction schedule and list of streets being resurfaced, is available on the City of Benicia Pavement Management Program webpage.

The City's Pavement Management Program — or PMP — was prepared by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's consulting engineer, and evaluates and applies cost-effective pavement treatments for the 200 lane-miles of city streets. The PMP specifies grind and overlay as a recommended treatment for the streets in this project.