Cotati reviews 65% roundabout design for Highway 116 at West Cotati Avenue; residents press safety changes

City staff presented a 65%-design update for the Highway 116/West Cotati Avenue intersection project and fielded council and public concerns about pedestrian safety and sight lines. The project, led by the city though the roadway is a Caltrans facility, would replace the existing signalized approach with a central roundabout, correct the current skewed intersection, provide splitter islands and four pedestrian/bicycle crossings, and include a Class I pathway along the north frontage.

Staff said the engineer’s 65%-level cost estimate is just under $8,000,000 and that the city has secured about $2,000,000 in grants so far; a funding gap remains to reach construction readiness. The design package is in Caltrans review (DEAR/DEIR processes) and includes required traffic and stormwater reports, an initial site assessment that supplements earlier CEQA work, and an intersection-safety and operational assessment (ISOAP).

Residents who spoke during the public-comment period expressed mixed reactions. One speaker said the south side of the project raises visibility and safety concerns where trees and proposed landscaping could block sight lines at a high-speed approach from the west; another commended the safety benefits of a roundabout but urged additional visibility measures such as lighted crosswalks or rectangular rapid-flashing beacons (RRFBs). Several commenters urged widening the pedestrian refuge at the west splitter island — staff noted the design meets an 8-foot minimum but said engineers can evaluate widening (for example to around 11 feet) if truck-turn and modeling analyses permit.

Council members asked staff to collect consultant and Caltrans feedback on any proposed refuge widening and to report back. Staff said it expects Caltrans comments within roughly two weeks and will aggregate consultant responses for the council. The council also discussed adding RRFB-style beacons where practical and ensuring design-phase power/electrical planning accommodates those options so they are not added after construction as a retrofit.

No final design approvals or funding commitments were made at the meeting; the item was an update and staff will return with modeled options and Caltrans feedback.