Logo courtesy of City of Dixon

DIXON, CA (MPG) - At the Aug. 4 meeting, the Dixon City Council considered a $272,800 contract with DKS Associates to conduct a traffic corridor study of West A Street from the I-80 Interchange to Pitt School Road.

The owner of the Wienerschnitzel restaurant on West A Street spoke during public comment about how a roadway median installed as part of the Homestead development has impacted his business: the median blocks left turns into his driveway, causing customers and delivery drivers to travel farther down the road and make a U-turn, in order to come back and enter his driveway from the other direction. Since he opened in 2019, he said he’s done good business, and he expected business to increase more over time with other planned developments bringing in more residents. Instead, he’s experienced a 50% decrease in business due to this issue. He asked the council to remove the median: “Please do something.” 

Staff said this issue has been under discussion at the city for a while. Homestead’s traffic study only looked at residential impacts and did not consider the nearby business area. That’s why staff are requesting the consultant contract for a study of the full A Street corridor. 

Councilmember Thom Bogue acknowledged that it’s important to look at the entire area. But he said the portion that is negatively impacting businesses needs to be a top priority. 

Councilmember Kevin Johnson agreed. He supported the full study but said there needs to be quicker solution to the immediate problem: “The median needs to be removed.”

Assistant City Manager Kate Zawadzki said the city is trying to avoid duplicate costs that could be incurred if they move forward with projects prior to the full corridor traffic study. But she said staff will look into options for expediting the process. 

City Engineer/Director of Utilities Christopher Fong said there is concern about potential liability for the city if they remove an element of an approved design without a study reviewing potential impacts of that removal. The city attorney agreed there could be liability issues, and if someone were hurt or killed at that location it could result in a lawsuit costing the city millions of dollars. 

Bogue said Homestead’s study was “flawed,” and the city caused this problem by approving that design. 

Councilmember Don Hendershot said he wants to see options for that location brought back at the next meeting. 

The council voted 4-0 to approve the consultant contract for the corridor study, with Vice Mayor Jim Ernest absent. 

The council also considered the fiscal year 2026-27 Pavement Preservation Project, which is funded by SB 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act, which addresses basic road maintenance, rehabilitation and safety needs on state highways and local streets. These funds are collected through increases in gas and diesel taxes as well as vehicle registration fees, and funds are dispersed through Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Accounts (RMRA).

Junior Engineer Jordan Santos said roadways are graded on a scale from 0 (failed) to 100 (brand new). Staying above an average of 50 is vital, otherwise roads begin to degrade at a faster rate, and then maintenance and rehabilitation costs increase dramatically. 

The last review of Dixon’s roadway conditions was conducted in 2022. At that time, the pavement network had an overall score of 61, with 48% rated very good, 26% good, 13% poor and 13% very poor. 

There are specific guidelines for how the RMAA money can be used, with the cheapest solutions typically prescribed, such as slurry seal coatings, which extend pavement lifespan by five to seven years. The city receives around $400,000 annually in RMAA funding, but Santos explained there is currently no funding mechanism for in-depth treatments for roadways needing more significant and costly repairs. 

The proposed 2026-27 Pavement Preservation Project includes slurry seal treatment on the following roadways: Bristol Court, Gill Court, Grove Court, Hall Park Drive, Hannah Court, Holly Court, Kib Court, Joy Court, Keel Court, Little Lane, North Adams Street, Parkway Boulevard, Pembroke Way, Russell Lane, Yeoman Court, Oxford Court and Porter St.

Councilmember Johnson said, “We’re not doing enough for our streets,” but they don’t know how behind they are because they’re operating on information from 2022. 

Councilmember Bogue clarified that currently all funding for street repairs is coming from the SB 1 RMAA funding, but he said residents pay property taxes and the city should be investing some of those funds into road maintenance as well. 

The council voted 4-0 to approve the Pavement Preservation Plan for the 2026-27 RMAA funding. 

The next meeting of the Dixon City Council is scheduled for Aug. 18.