The project comes on the heels of the City’s new multi-use paths along Camino Alto between Miller and Sycamore avenues, and along Sycamore between Camino Alto and the path. A September incident in which a cyclist collided with two young boys, injuring all three people, has heightened attention on the safety along the path, and county officials hope the roundabout will reduce cyclists’ speed.
The County of Marin is set to begin on Monday construction of a roundabout on the Mill Valley-Sausalito multiuse pathway at the end of Sycamore Avenue, an effort to improve safety for both users of the path and the myriad fields and facilities surrounding it there.

According to Ernest Klock, a Principal Civil Engineer with the County of Marin’s Department of Public Works, construction will begin on Monday, October 13 and be finished by mid-December. The $368,000 project, which will be built by Ghilotti Brothers, includes extensive landscaping east of the roundabout and a number of smaller items, such as improved signage, garbage cans, water fountain and a small plaza.

Klock explained the project’s basic components Sept. 30 to the Marin County Board of Supervisors. 

“The idea is to cause people to pause and slow down as they navigate the intersection,” Klock told the Supervisors. “The roundabout is expected to reduce speed, which will go a long way to increase safety and calm some nerves.”

Although some recent user conflicts on the pathway have resulted in injuries, prompting public calls for a solution, the roundabout project has been in the works since March 2013. 

“This is very timely in the light of recent accidents that have taken place on the pathway,” said District 3 Supervisor Kate Sears, who represents Mill Valley.

The pathway will remain open during construction, and path traffic will be diverted around it, Klock said. Signs will be posted in the area before work begins.