State Route 29/California Roundabouts

Project Description/Background

The State Route 29 (SR 29) Northbound First Street Ramps and California Boulevard Roundabouts Project (Project) involves the reconfiguration and construction of three modern roundabouts at First Street and California Boulevard, Second Street and California Boulevard, and SR 29 northbound on and off ramps at First Street.

The purpose of the Project is to relieve existing and future traffic congestion, improve traffic safety and traffic operations, and minimize queues and delay for all three intersections within the Project limits.  Furthermore, the Project includes bicycle and pedestrian facilities to encourage multi-modal forms of transportation.

The Project will accommodate bicycle and pedestrian traffic through a combination of sidewalks, shared use paths and bicycle lanes. Other features of the project include street lighting, landscaping, irrigation and storm drain systems, new side mounted and overhead signs to assist in navigating the roundabouts, the construction of retaining walls, and re-grading to accommodate street design grades and cross-slopes.

The Project will also increase mobility into and out of Downtown Napa through the reversal of First Street and Second Street between California Boulevard and Jefferson Street. Currently, First and Second Streets, between California Boulevard and Jefferson Street operate as a one-way couplet (with east and west-bound traffic separated onto two two-lane streets, rather than allowing two-way traffic on both streets). As part of the Project these streets will be reversed: First Street would become east-bound only, while Second Street would become west bound only, each from the California Boulevard roundabouts to Jefferson Street.

CA Roundabouts Concept

Construction Activities

March 31, 2020 -

The Caltrans/City of Napa Roundabout Project has reached another milestone and signals that the project is nearing completion. The top layer of asphalt pavement is scheduled to be placed by the contractor this week on Thursday, April 2nd from approximately 7:00am to 5:30pm and Friday, April 3rd from 8:00am to 6:00pm. This work will complete the final road surface which will be followed by the installation of permanent striping and pavement markings in the next couple of weeks.

Drivers are asked to proceed with caution through the construction area and to pay attention to signage. Motorists may experience disruptions to normal driving patterns as well as delays and detours so additional drive time should be considered to get to destinations on time. We thank you for your patience!

February 7, 2020 -

The Roundabouts project is moving along, and we have some important milestones coming up that we want to share with you!

  • California Boulevard, between Second and Third Streets (that has been closed due to construction) is scheduled to open the week of February 17th. As it gets closer, we will have a better idea of timing, and as always, this is dependent upon weather.

  • The third roundabout, at Second Street and California Boulevard, is scheduled to be open and functioning the week after California Boulevard opens (the week of February 24th). There will still be some work that needs to be completed but the intersection will be functioning as a roundabout.

  • Landscape planting will be on-going for several weeks.

  • Final paving will be done in the middle of March, followed by final sign installation and striping.

January 6, 2020 -

HEADS UP: The next important phase of the roundabout construction work will soon be underway. On January 8th and 9th, crews will begin work necessary for the directional change (couplet flip) of First and Second Streets, between California Boulevard and Jefferson Street. This work involves the removal of existing striping and pavement markings followed by the installation of new striping and pavement marking as well as new traffic signage to accommodate the change. During this work residents and customers will still be able to access First and Second Streets during construction. 

Once the striping, pavement markings and traffic signage are installed, traffic will be changed and flow in the opposite direction from what it is currently. First Street will become a one-way street with traffic heading East bound (towards downtown), and Second Street will become a one-way street with traffic heading West bound (towards SR29).

To accomplish this work, there will be no parking on First or Second streets starting the evening of January 7th till the evening of the 9th. Residents in this area have been notified in advance and have been requested to park on their property or side streets; however, they will have access to and from their property at all times. 

We anticipate that California Boulevard will be open between Second and Third Streets by the end of January, and the third roundabout is expected to open sometime in early to mid-February. Of course, this schedule is weather permitting and significant wet weather could delay this timeline. We thank everyone for their patience and cooperation during the duration of this project!

December 18, 2019 -

Construction on the roundabouts is moving along and motorists have surely noticed many of the changes underway in the area. There are still a number of road closures and detours in place as crews have taken advantage of a dry fall and combined some project phases to speed up the overall construction, reduce costs and minimize the impact on the public. At this point in time, the project is about 70% complete and is well ahead of the original project schedule which showed an 18-month construction timeframe. Right now, it looks like the project may be completed in March, but that depends on the weather.

First and California Roundabout

As of today, the second roundabout at First and California may be opening for limited use in the next few weeks. Traffic will still access downtown via Second Street. However, drivers may access northbound California Boulevard once the second roundabout is far enough along with construction. Again, this depends on weather. The second roundabout will not be complete but will function as a roundabout for eastbound First Street drivers wishing to go north on California or access Clay Street to enter downtown. is expected to open in the next week or so. Once this second roundabout is operational,

First and Second Street Direction Reversal

The contractor will continue work to reverse the direction of First and Second Streets (called a couplet flip) sometime around January 9th or 10th. Residents and businesses owners will be notified by the contractor directly about this work as well.  This work will involve the removal and reinstallation of striping and pavement markings to allow for the direction change. The City will be coordinating with the roundabout project contractor to modify the existing signals and striping at First and Second Streets at Jefferson to accommodate the change in direction.  Again, these two phases are weather permitting – and with rain in the forecast, this work could be delayed.

As each phase nears completion, we will continue to share these updates with the community. We appreciate the patience of all the drivers, neighbors and business owners in the area. A large-scale construction project like this can definitely bring a headache or two, but our project partners, Caltrans and O.C. Jones, have worked with the City of Napa to minimize the impacts and speed up the process. We should see the fruits of these labors sooner than expected.

As a reminder, the  current detours are as follows:

  • California Boulevard between Second Street and Third Street is closed.
  • Drivers traveling from Browns Valley and wanting to proceed south on California Boulevard will be required to turn left on eastbound Second Street, then right southbound Seymour Street, then right of westbound Third Street back to California Boulevard.
  • California Boulevard northbound will now turn right onto eastbound Third Street, then left onto northbound Seymour Street, then left onto westbound Clay Street back to California Boulevard.
  • Eastbound on First Street from Browns Valley Road to northbound California Boulevard will make a right turn onto southbound California Boulevard, the left on eastbound Second Street, then left onto northbound Seymour Street, then left onto westbound Clay Street back to California Boulevard. Drivers wishing to reach downtown may continue on Second Street as before to reach Jefferson Street and downtown.
  • Southbound California Boulevard drivers will turn left onto eastbound Clay Street, then right onto southbound Seymour Street, then right onto westbound Third Street. Detour ends at California Boulevard. Southbound California Boulevard drivers wishing to travel west towards Browns Valley or to northbound SR29 may turn right onto westbound First Street as before.
  • First Street westbound will turn right onto northbound Walnut Street, then left onto westbound Clay Street. Detour ends at California Boulevard.

December 10, 2019 

Here is a quick overview of the existing and NEW detours that are in place around the roundabouts construction area. Work is moving along and crews continue to work towards the goal of opening all three roundabouts by early 2020.

NEW:
•    California Boulevard between Second Street and Third Street is closed. 
o    Drivers traveling from Browns Valley and wanting to proceed south on California Boulevard will be required to turn left on eastbound Second Street, then right southbound Seymour Street, then right of westbound Third Street back to California Boulevard.
o    California Boulevard northbound will now turn right onto eastbound Third Street, then left onto northbound Seymour Street, then left onto westbound Clay Street back to California Boulevard.
EXISTING:
•    Eastbound on First Street from Browns Valley Road to northbound California Boulevard will make a right turn onto southbound California Boulevard, the left on eastbound Second Street, then left onto northbound Seymour Street, then left onto westbound Clay Street back to California Boulevard. Drivers wishing to reach downtown may continue on Second Street as before to reach Jefferson Street and downtown.
•    Southbound California Boulevard drivers will turn left onto eastbound Clay Street, then right onto southbound Seymour Street, then right onto westbound Third Street. Detour ends at California Boulevard. Southbound California Boulevard drivers wishing to travel west towards Browns Valley or to northbound SR29 may turn right onto westbound First Street as before.
•    First Street westbound will turn right onto northbound Walnut Street, then left onto westbound Clay Street. Detour ends at California Boulevard.

November 22, 2019

Our first roundabout is now open! Remember, drive with caution and be safe on the roadways. Slow and steady wins the race.
 
Now, up next – crews will continue work on the second and third roundabouts, as well as all the other associated improvements such as landscaping, curbs, bike lanes and more. By Christmas, we should see the next roundabout up and running! In the meantime, you can check out this video to see a simulation of how all three roundabouts will work together when completed in early 2020.

Please remember to drive safely and take your time – we appreciate everyone’s patience!


November 15, 2019

The first of the three roundabouts, as well as the northbound SR-29 offramp, is slated to open on Thursday, November 21. Motorists will be able to use this first roundabout to get on and off the freeway at First Street, as well as to navigate between First Street and California Boulevard.

California Boulevard will remain closed between Clay Street and Second Street, and there will still be detours in place as construction crews continue working on the remaining two roundabouts.

This is exciting news, as this first roundabout is opening far ahead of schedule. What was expected to be at least an 18-month job has reduced considerably, with the next roundabout possibly in use just before Christmas and the third begin to carry traffic in early 2020 depending on weather.

Additional information will be shared on social media at the beginning of next week on how to travel through a roundabout whether in a car, on a bike or on foot.

Please remember to drive safely and take your time – we appreciate everyone’s patience!

October 10, 2019

As you can see from the cool photos to the right, a lot of progress has been made on the project. The first of the three roundabouts is beginning to emerge! We are excited to say that the first of the three roundabouts will be open before Thanksgiving, and the second will be open by Christmas! The project contractor, O.C. Jones, took these great photos and has been working diligently to keep this work moving as quickly as possible. We realize the inconvenience this much construction creates, but appreciate our community’s patience as we move closer to finished roundabouts even more quickly than anticipated.

Detours will remain in place, along with previously announced detours currently in place due to the construction. Motorists are encouraged to use alternative routes and allow more time to get to their destinations. Delays are expected in the construction area and drivers should exercise caution.

For more information from Caltrans, visit the Napa Roundabout Webpage at https://bit.ly/341VNlL

Work on the three roundabouts is expected to conclude in 2020.

Project Simulation

The design consultant for the Project, Omni-Means (A GHD Company), prepared a traffic simulation to illustrate how the Project will operate after completion.

Comments/Questions 

Comments and questions may be directed to the Engineering Division email address: [email protected].