Novato Boulevard's Next Dig Is Three Projects Sharing One Trench

Through last fall and winter, the weekday drive between Diablo Avenue and Seventh Street usually ended at a detour. Patch reported in October 2025 that Novato Boulevard on that stretch would be closed 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays through March 2026 while PG&E moved its lines underground. The City sent drivers to Center Road or Grant Avenue during those hours. The road, water and sewer project that the undergrounding made room for is up next.

The City of Novato's October 2026 project update expects construction on the Novato Boulevard Improvements Project to begin in late October or early November 2026. It's scheduled to take about 18 to 24 months. The part that shapes the next two years is how it's organized. Three public agencies own something under or on this pavement. All three will do their work under one contract, on one schedule, with one contractor.

The Undergrounding Went First

The City's project page has long said the road work would be completed after PG&E's Rule 20A undergrounding, which moves overhead electric wiring below ground along parts of the boulevard. When the closures started, the City said the undergrounding would "allow the City to widen Novato Blvd adding bike lanes, sidewalks and clean water drainage." Patch carried that statement.

The full timeline runs back almost a decade:

1. June 12, 2018: The City Council picked a three-lane layout as the preferred design.
2. October 5, 2021: The Draft Environmental Impact Report went to the California State Clearinghouse.
3. February 14, 2023: The council approved buying strips of six parcels' frontage to make room for bike lanes and sidewalk.
4. Spring 2025: PG&E started undergrounding.
5. June 23, 2026: The council approved plans and specs after the sanitary and water district boards had already signed off.
6. August 19, 2026: Eight bids were opened.
7. September 22, 2026: The council awarded the contract to Team Ghilotti, Inc.

The City says PG&E's major gas and electric work underground is now substantially complete. The utility isn't fully done, though. Electrical service cutovers, removal of overhead equipment and telecom work continue into early 2027, overlapping the start of the new project.

Three Owners, One Pavement

The City of Novato, North Marin Water District and Novato Sanitary District agreed to coordinate their work into a single construction project. The City says that approach should make the work more efficient, shorten the total construction time and cut down on repeat disruptions. Here's what each one is building between Diablo and Grant:

The money shows how much of this dig isn't really the City's road project. The contract is worth about $16.8 million. The City puts its own share at about $8 million, and that figure includes its part of shared costs like traffic control. That leaves roughly $8.8 million of the contract for work outside the City's share, mostly the water and sewer lines under the street. The timeline points the same way. The City approved a cost-share agreement with Novato Sanitary District in December 2023 and another with North Marin Water District in September 2025, well before any bids came in.

The contract also has a single construction manager. In May 2026, the City approved an agreement with Ghirardelli Associates to handle construction management, inspection and materials testing for all three agencies.

The Old Water Pipes Stay in the Ground

North Marin Water District isn't digging out the pipes it's replacing. Its project page says the new water facilities go into Novato Boulevard between Diablo and Grant, and the existing pipelines stay where they are "for future reuse as a recycled water system."

That fits the logic of the whole project. Leaving the old main in place means it can carry recycled water later without anyone opening the road a second time to lay a new line.

The sanitary district is also adding pipe without removing any. Its fiscal year 2026–27 budget calls the work a new parallel trunk sewer. The district finished its design in FY 2025–26 and expects to build it in FY 2026–27.

The Street That Comes Out the Other End

The boulevard you'll drive in 2028 was mostly settled in 2018. Staff recommended a three-lane layout over the five-lane option the City had been studying. The City's comparison said the three-lane version would:

• remove about 28 mature trees
• keep its narrower footprint clear of Novato Creek
• take land from about six properties
• demolish no houses
• cost an estimated $10 million to $15 million in early figures

According to the project page, most participants at the April 2018 workshops preferred the three-lane design.

"Three lanes" is a shorthand. The actual layout changes by segment:

New traffic signals are planned at Diablo, Seventh and Grant. The land purchases are limited to frontage on five parcels between Cypress Avenue and Diablo Avenue. The page also lists six parcels in the 2023 council action. Residents on Los Alondras Court had raised concerns about turn restrictions. The City says the chosen design adds no restrictions on any side street that meets Novato Boulevard.

What the First Months Will Look Like

The City hasn't yet announced where crews start, the daily work hours, or a firm first day. The October update tells residents, businesses and drivers to expect periodic delays, lane restrictions and temporary changes to access. It also says the agencies will work with the contractor to keep access open wherever they can. The City and its construction management consultant are building a separate project webpage with construction updates, schedules and traffic impacts. The City's Novato Boulevard Improvements page said in October that a link to it was expected within about two weeks. The schedule depends on weather, utility coordination, permits and whatever crews find underground.

The PG&E phase gives some idea of how access can change street by street. Patch reported in November 2025 on drilling at Novato Boulevard and Diablo Avenue from Nov. 3 to 17. The Diablo Avenue entrances to Bridgecreek Apartments and Edgewater Condos were scheduled to close during work hours for the first week and around the clock for the second. That was a different contractor doing different work. Still, if you live or run a business near one of the three signal intersections, it's the kind of notice to watch for.

The corridor still has places to go while all this happens. Star Restaurant, the 1950s-style diner at 1700 Novato Blvd, sits on the Seventh Street corner. Shop Local Novato describes its menu as burgers, Italian entrées, Mexican dishes and desserts displayed in a case by the door. One block over, Pocket Park at 950 7th St. has a new youth mural that local artist Heather Phelps led with student artists. The City celebrated it in September.

If you have questions about the PG&E work still underway, the City lists PG&E Outreach Specialist John Baston at (707) 867-9466. Questions about the combined road, water and sewer work should go through the City's project page once the construction updates are posted. For more on everyday life around town, see our Novato neighborhood guide. For how a different Marin road project handled lanes and bike space, read our post on Point San Pedro Road.

At Team O'Brien, we drive Novato Boulevard too, and we'll keep watching the schedule as each segment opens and closes. If you live along the corridor and want to talk about timing a sale or purchase around the construction, schedule a consultation or get your free home valuation.