Hope for Napa Roads
The City road in front of my home
Most of the roads in District 2 are in the City of Napa and the responsibility of the City Council. The County has responsibility for the roads outside of City limits.
Maintenance of rural roads is different than that for urban roads as some roads are remote and lightly used and others are more heavily used. The county prioritizes based on usage among other things. The Roads division is responsible for maintaining approximately 450 miles of public roads, 79 bridges and 50 major drainage structures within the unincorporated area of the County. The 2014 earthquake damaged a number of bridges which consumed much of the County's resources to repair. The division is also active in other road-related safety efforts such as vegetation management and maintenance of structure, drainage facilities, guardrails, traffic signs, signals and pavement markings.
Both the City and the County have struggled with reduced State funding as the "HUTA" funds (gasoline tax) have declined.
Below is a chart that shows the funding history and projections for the County Road fund. The green columns are the State funding, the blue columns are the County general fund contribution, and the red is the projected Measure T funds. As seen below, Napa County has tripled its general fund contribution to road repairs over the last four years. Unfortunately, while the County added more funding, the State reduced funding which kept the overall effort flat.
The good news is that the half cent sales tax that supported the flood control effort will convert to a road fund and significantly increase funding for this effort beginning in 2019. While the chart below is for the County, the City of Napa should see a similar result. The County has an objective program that evaluates the condition and use of each county road to determine where our dollars should be spent to be most effective. With the increased general fund contribution and the Measure T funds, the county should have enough money each year to maintain all of our roads in good repair.
Maintenance of rural roads is different than that for urban roads as some roads are remote and lightly used and others are more heavily used. The county prioritizes based on usage among other things. The Roads division is responsible for maintaining approximately 450 miles of public roads, 79 bridges and 50 major drainage structures within the unincorporated area of the County. The 2014 earthquake damaged a number of bridges which consumed much of the County's resources to repair. The division is also active in other road-related safety efforts such as vegetation management and maintenance of structure, drainage facilities, guardrails, traffic signs, signals and pavement markings.
Both the City and the County have struggled with reduced State funding as the "HUTA" funds (gasoline tax) have declined.
Below is a chart that shows the funding history and projections for the County Road fund. The green columns are the State funding, the blue columns are the County general fund contribution, and the red is the projected Measure T funds. As seen below, Napa County has tripled its general fund contribution to road repairs over the last four years. Unfortunately, while the County added more funding, the State reduced funding which kept the overall effort flat.
The good news is that the half cent sales tax that supported the flood control effort will convert to a road fund and significantly increase funding for this effort beginning in 2019. While the chart below is for the County, the City of Napa should see a similar result. The County has an objective program that evaluates the condition and use of each county road to determine where our dollars should be spent to be most effective. With the increased general fund contribution and the Measure T funds, the county should have enough money each year to maintain all of our roads in good repair.
