"It's going to be another 24 months of dirt, dust, noise, and I realize that the community has dealt with a lot as PG&E and the private utilities have been doing their undergrounding work for years now." Novato Public Works Director Chris Benigni said that at a City Council meeting this summer, as reported by the Marin Independent Journal.
If you drive between downtown and the west side, you already know how this part of Novato Boulevard has looked lately. The next phase is different. The City of Novato, North Marin Water District and Novato Sanitary District have put their work into one construction project. Their goal is to dig up the stretch between Diablo Avenue and Grant Avenue once instead of tearing it up separately for each job. According to the City's October 2026 project update, construction is expected to begin in late October or early November 2026 and take about 18 to 24 months.
A plan that started in 2001
Planning for these road improvements started in 2001. The City Council approved the designs in 2018, the Marin IJ reported. Benigni said at the meeting that a lot "throughout the last 25 years" had pushed the project back, "much outside of the control of the city," before it reached what he called "a momentous stage where we are ready to go to construction."
Part of that wait was about order. The City's road work had to come after PG&E's Rule 20A project, which moves overhead electric lines underground along parts of Novato Boulevard. The City now says PG&E has substantially completed its major gas and electrical underground work on the corridor. Some PG&E work will still continue into 2027, including electrical service cutovers, removal of overhead electrical equipment and telecommunications work.
The bids came in this summer. The City advertised the project in July 2026 and opened eight bids on August 19. On September 22, the City Council awarded the construction contract to Team Ghilotti, Inc., the lowest responsive, responsible bidder. Meeting records put the award at $16,824,358.
Three agencies, one trench
Three different agencies have work under this road, and that explains the two-year timeline. The City says putting the improvements into one construction project is meant to save effort, shorten the total construction time and avoid disrupting the community again and again.
The Marin IJ laid out each agency's job and funding share:
| Partner | What it's doing under or on the road | Funding reported in summer 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| City of Novato | New stormwater pipes, replacement traffic signals, a new center lane, bike lanes, sidewalks, landscaping and driveway improvements | About $8.49 million in Measure AA funds for its share of construction |
| Novato Sanitary District | Replacing aging sewer laterals | About $4.7 million |
| North Marin Water District | Replacing water lines that run underground from nearby houses | About $2.7 million, estimated |
As of that report, the whole project was estimated at about $23.9 million, including construction, staff time and contingencies. The City had also awarded $2.2 million in May to Ghirardelli Associates for construction management and inspection. Benigni said the agencies' shares could change depending on how the bids compared with the estimates. The City's project page now puts its own estimated share at about $8 million, including joint costs like traffic control.
Under a single contract, sewer laterals, water lines, storm drains and the new road surface all get built on one schedule. The other way to do it would be to repave the road and then cut it open again later for pipe work. City Manager Amy Cunningham called it "a massive project for the community," according to the Marin IJ.
What the road looks like when the cones come down
The City's design follows the three-lane layout the Council approved in 2018. The number of lanes changes along the way:
- Diablo Avenue to 7th Street–Tamalpais Avenue: one through lane in each direction, plus a center two-way left-turn lane.
- Boulevard Terrace to 7th Street–Tamalpais Avenue: a second northbound through lane is added.
- 7th Street–Tamalpais Avenue to Grant Avenue: two northbound lanes, one southbound lane and a center two-way left-turn lane.
Along the full stretch, the plan includes continuous sidewalks and Class II bike lanes on both sides. It also covers a wider roadway, updated crosswalks and street lighting, new pavement, upgraded drainage with clean-water treatment, and drought-tolerant, fire-wise landscaping. New traffic signals will go in at Diablo Avenue, Seventh Street and Grant Avenue.
The project also needs to acquire strips of land along the frontage of five parcels, all between Cypress Avenue and Diablo Avenue. The City says this smaller "footprint" will still affect private properties, trees and creeks but will improve traffic flow during peak commute hours.
"We're drastically increasing safety in that corridor for all modes of transportation," Benigni said, as quoted by the Marin IJ.
What hasn't been posted yet
The City has not yet published a day-by-day plan. Its October update tells residents, businesses and drivers to expect periodic traffic delays, lane restrictions and temporary changes to access. It also says the City and its partners will work with the contractor to keep access open where they can.
There are no published closure dates, work hours or detours yet. The City and its construction management consultant are building a separate project webpage with construction updates, schedules and traffic impacts. In its October update, the City said a link would likely be ready "within the next two weeks." Until then, the Novato Boulevard Improvements page on novato.gov is where that link should show up. For questions about current PG&E construction, the City lists PG&E Outreach Specialist John Baston at (707) 867-9466.
Benigni also told the Council that the agencies had "learned and watched" during the earlier utility work. He said they intend to communicate with the neighborhood better, use better traffic control and "give well in advance notice when there's going to be major disruptions to the traffic," according to the Marin IJ.
Many everyday stops have Novato Boulevard addresses, so the notices will matter for more than commuters:
- Novato Library at 1720 Novato Blvd.
- Our Lady of Loretto Catholic Church at 1806 Novato Blvd.
- The Square Shopping Center at 2001 Novato Blvd., on the corners of Wilson Avenue and Raposa Vista. It's home to Little Goan Indian Cafe at 2007 Novato Blvd. and FBI Burgers at 2031 Novato Blvd.
Any notices about access or driveway work will show which of these blocks are affected and when.
The Grant Avenue end, this holiday season
The project ends at Grant Avenue, and one of its new signals goes in there. That end of the project meets downtown, where City Hall and Civic Green sit at 901 Sherman Avenue. Downtown's holiday calendar runs right through the first months of construction:
- Holiday Crafts Faire: Friday, December 4, 6 to 9 p.m., and Saturday, December 5, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Margaret Todd Senior Center, 1560 Hill Road. More than 50 artisans, and admission is free.
- Community Tree Lighting Festival: Saturday, December 5, 4 to 7:30 p.m., centered on Civic Green, with street closures.
- Bouncy Ball New Year Countdown: December 31 at noon, hosted by Downtown Novato.
The Downtown Novato Community Farmers' Market ended its 2026 season with its October 27 Tuesday market on Sherman Avenue between Grant and De Long. December 5 will bring the festival's own downtown street closures, and that afternoon could also be one of the first busy weekends with construction underway on the road into downtown. Checking the City's project page before heading to Civic Green is a simple step.
If you're on the City's mailing lists, watch for the dedicated construction page. If you're not, the novato.gov project page is the place to bookmark. The City expects the work to run into 2028. When it's done, the road will have new pipes, signals, sidewalks and bike lanes on both sides, all built under one contract.
If you own a home near Novato Boulevard and want to know how the 18 to 24 month construction window could affect the timing of a sale, or what buyers will see when they drive in, Miranda Hanson is happy to walk through it with you using the City's latest updates. Let's Connect.
