Guerneville 116 Pedestrian Upgrades
Guerneville Pedestrian Upgrades along State Route 116
Update> February 4, 2026
City streetlights in the eastern portion of town area waiting another inspection by Sonoma County. There were problems with the original installation, and the contractor has made several changes to comply with regulations. If the streetlights pass an upcoming inspection by the county they will be switched on. The contractor also is working on the signal lights at the intersection of River Road and Old River Road at the east end of town. The contractor hopes to have the signal completed by the end of February.
Update> January 20, 2026
Last week the contractor finished work on the traffic signals at the intersection of State Route 116 (Main Street) and Armstrong Woods. The contractor set out stop signs at the intersection to control traffic, while PG&E de-energized the existing power supply, attached a new upgrade power supply to the signals and activated it. The new power supply will dramatically improve the reliability and performance of the signals.
The city streetlights have not yet been reactivated. The contractor has been working on the streetlight in the eastern part of town since October.
Update> November 18, 2025
As construction winds down to several projects within the project, Caltrans has taken an active interest in removing the telltale signs of construction that are no longer serving much purpose: collecting orange cones, barrels, yellow tape and other remnants of completed construction has restored the natural streetscape of all but a few areas of town.
Update> September 30, 2025
Last weekend Guerneville hosted its annual Pride Parade. Caltrans remembers the prior year’s parade when work crews arrived in the early morning to remove delineators from the middle of Main Street to provide room for the floats to drive past.
It wasn’t necessary to remove delineators this year, as most of the work has been completed between Mill Street and Armstrong Woods.
Since that time, Caltrans has installed 23 ADA-compliant curb ramps. We have replaced all the sidewalks in town and widened many of them to provide enough width to meet ADA requirements. Caltrans added bulb-outs to Church and Mill Street, and replaced the traffic signals at Armstrong Woods
Caltrans installed two pedestrian beacons (Mills and Church streets) and will activate them later this year.
New Trees to Line the Sidewalks of Guerneville
From a distance the woodchip-filled planter boxes in the sidewalk look like someone tried to fill a gap in the concrete with a sheet of corkboard.
But the situation is temporary.
Sonoma County and the Russian River Chamber of Commerce have plans to plant trees in these beige patches. The type of trees to be planted are under consideration as of this writing.
At right is a picture of a tree in a Guerneville planter box, looking much nicer than an unadorned sheet of corkboard.
Update> September 12, 2025
Last weekend Guerneville hosted its annual Pride Parade. Caltrans remembers the prior year’s parade when work crews arrived in the early morning to remove delineators from the middle of Main Street to provide room for the floats to drive past.
It wasn’t necessary to remove delineators this year, as most of the work has been completed between Mill Street and Armstrong Woods.
Since that time, Caltrans has installed 23 ADA-compliant curb ramps. We have replaced all the sidewalks in town and widened many of them to provide enough width to meet ADA requirements. Caltrans added bulb-outs to Church and Mill Street, and replaced the traffic signals at Armstrong Woods
Caltrans installed two pedestrian beacons (Mills and Church streets) and will activate them later this year.
Earlier this week, Caltrans activated the new traffic signal at the intersection of State Route 116 (Main Street) and Armstrong Woods. The signal system is equipped with loop detectors, which detect the presence of vehicles and relay that information to the computerized signal. Also, Caltrans has timed the signals to correspond with the general traffic patterns at the intersection.
The new signal was a long time coming, and Caltrans appreciates the community's patience, particularly during the temporary signal's initial setup and the wiring connection process, when Caltrans installed temporary stop signs to control the intersection.
Caltrans will next work on the traffic signal at River Road and Main Street and the pedestrian beacons on Main Street at Church and Mill Streets.
Update> August 4, 2025
All sidewalks have been poured. However, some construction items remain. Traffic signals at the intersection of Armstrong Woods and being replaced, and Caltrans will install pedestrian beacons at the intersection of Church and Mill streets.
Update> January 16, 2025
Caltrans has shifted both east - and westbound lanes of Route 116 to the north, creating working room in front of Safeway for sidewalk replacement. The main driveway to Safeway and the Taco Truck, which is parked at the northwest corner of the parking lot, is closed. However, access to both businesses is available by using Church Street. Caltrans has posted "Business Open" signs near the Church Street intersection to advise and remind motorists that Safeway and the Taco Truck can be readily accessed. Work at this location will continue until Monday, January 27, if all goes well. A spate of bad weather (we've been fortunate so far this month) could cause a delay. Also, unexpected utilities or subsurface tree stumps could hamper progress.
Update> December 2, 2024
Caltrans has finished sidewalk work on a two-block section of eastbound Route 116 between Brookside Lane and Church Street. Sidewalk work has mostly been completed between Armstrong Woods and Old River Road, except a strip of concrete needs to be removed along the retaining wall that will allow for landscaping.
Caltrans expects to complete the sidewalk work on westbound Route 116 between Old River Road and Armstrong Woods by the end of January 2025. Likewise, sidewalk work in the westbound direction between Mill Street and Brookside Lane should be completed by January 2025.
The last section of eastbound Route 116 between Armstrong Woods and Church Street will be completed by summer 2025.
Caltrans will complete the final section of westbound Route 116 between Armstrong Woods and Mill Street by summer 2025.
See the image below for a visual rendering of the latest schedule.
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Guerneville Pedestrian Upgrades along State Route 116
Caltrans began a project in the summer of 2024 to upgrade sidewalks, replace traffic signals and add pedestrian beacons on State Route 116 in Guerneville between River Road and 4th Street. Some patching of pavement will occur, but this is not a paving project.
The improvements include replacing 23 curb ramps with ramps compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).
Traffic signals at River Road and Highway 116 will be replaced. The sidewalk between River Road and Armstrong Woods Road will be widened at each light-pole to provide a clearance of 48-inches clearance. Driveways will be reconstructed to conform with the new sidewalks.
To enhance pedestrian safety, Caltrans will install pedestrian hybrid beacons and curb extensions at intersections of SR-116 at Church and Mill streets. The new pedestrian signals will be a High-Intensity Activated Cross Walk beacons (HAWK), which will alert motorists to the presence of pedestrians.
Also, curb extensions or bulb-outs will be installed at several locations to slow down traffic, and to reduce the distance pedestrian must travel to cross the street.
Being a pedestrian in Guerneville will be a safer, and more pleasant experience by the addition of ADA compliant curb ramps, wider sidewalks, upgraded traffic signals and, curb extensions and pedestrian beacons to accommodate pedestrians at busy intersections on SR-116.
Downtown Landscaping, Bike Racks and Other Enhancements
Images and Maps
The images and maps below show examples and diagrams of improvements that will be made along Route 116, including a diagram of a curb extension, an example of an ADA-compliant curb ramp, an image of a pedestrian hybrid beacon and an explanation of its signals, and two maps showing the improvements that will be made during the project.
The project also involves upgrading the sidewalks and railings on the Fife Creek Bridge at the west end of town. The ends of the bridge will be detailed with a ledger rock design.
