Petaluma North Station & Minor Design Modifications to Pathways and Grade Crossings

About Project

In the summer of 2022, SMART won a TIRCP grant to complete the addition of Petaluma North Station to their commuter rail line. The project also  included multiuse pathway construction for 2 segments of the existing line and improvements at North McDowell Boulevard railroad crossing. The various elements were combined into a single construction package for bid. Due to the various funding sources, SMART needed the package to be completed in an accelerated manner to avoid funding expiration. 

Civil and systems design of Petaluma North Station an a very tight schedule.  From NTP to Final Submittal was 5 months.

Civil and systems design for the reconstruction of North McDowell Boulevard. 

Integration and final design modifications of two (2) segments of Class 1 non-motorized pathway (“NMP”) located in Sonoma County.

• Pathway – Southpoint Blvd. to Main St. (2.9 miles)
•      (Petaluma to Penngrove)
• Pathway – Golf Course Dr. to Bellevue Ave. (2.7 miles)
•      (Rohnert Park to Santa Rosa)

Project Scope, Successes

Petaluma North Station: Designed new control point using gauntlet track, Corona Road grade crossing improvements, new station platform, communications backhaul connections and station devices including ticket vending machine, TAP machines, public address, and platform CCTV. CCTV was designed for the parking lot area and Corona Road. North McDowell Boulevard Grade Crossing: Design included this wide angled 4 lane grade crossing with track replacement, the primary grade crossing configuration and two pedestrian crossings. Main and auxiliary crossing houses were used to support all of the crossing gates and equipment required. CCTV was designed for North McDowell Boulevard.

Multiuse Pathway Segment 2: This portion of the Class 1 pathway extended between Southpoint Boulevard and Main Street, approximately 3 miles in the north and south directions from the the Petaluma North Station. PRE’s design included modifications to the existing grade crossings, addition of pedestrian crossing gates, enhancement of existing equipment such as adding flashers, and removals of existing equipment such as cantilevers. The Corona Road existing grade crossing enclosure and power was relocated to support the new pathway.

Multiuse Pathway Segment 3: This portion of the Class 1 pathway extended between Golf Course Drive to Bellevue Avenue, approximately 3 miles. PRE’s design included modifications to the existing grade crossings, addition of pedestrian crossing gates, enhancement of existing equipment such as flashers additions, and removals of existing equipment such as cantilevers and relocation of existing power meters.

Project Highlights

• Worked on 7 Crossing Locations
• Created new Control Point locations
• Created systems for new station platform
• Updated Control Lines for E-ATC system
• PRE delivered Issue for Construction plans on time to meet SMART’s goal of a 5 month design cycle in line with funding expiration critical path
• PRE’s first design of control point for gauntlet track
• Performed design review of existing Class 1 pathway designs to assess impacts to train control systems and backhaul fiber infrastructure.
• Reviewed existing backhaul network to determine network modifications required for new station 
• Completed modification of control lines necessary for the new station to support Enhanced Automatic Train Control (E-ATC)