UKIAH, CA., 6/23/25 — Yes, the giant road construction project on Gobbi Street in Ukiah is coming to an end. In fact, paving should be completed from Orchard Avenue to Dora Street by the end of the week. What’s that you say? West Gobbi was already supposed to be done? What happened?
During preparation for paving, areas of unstable base were discovered. On these sections (typically clay or sand), more treatment is required for stabilization before the final layer of pavement can be put down.
Today and tomorrow, those sections will be dug out, a base layer applied, and residents may again not be able to access their driveways. The top layer (finally!) is scheduled for Thursday evening, from 4-8 p.m.
Needless to say, expect significant traffic impacts, difficult access for residents, and temporary closures during the week until Friday. The following week sees striping.
Things aren’t really better east of State Street. The old pavement will be ground out Tuesday and Wednesday. As the city says, “This work is noisy and dusty, and partial or full closures of the work areas will be required.”
So when does paving start? Nighttime is the best time for paving, and it starts at 8 p,m. Wednesday and Thursday. Residents on East Gobbi may not have access to driveways. Striping starts the week of July 7.
Bottom line: Avoid the Gobbi Street area entirely if you can and please drive carefully in all construction areas, for the sake of workers, pedestrians, and your car.
Then comes Main Street, which starts on July 3, with grinding out. That will take around 10 days, starting at Norton. There will be lane or block closures but the road is driveable. Laying base rock will take around eight days. Paving is scheduled for July 29 and should take seven days. Striping will occur in mid-August.
The city thanks you “for your patience during this transformative project.”
The City Engineers office bid the job with just a surface grind and overlay. They apparently decided that would not work so they authorized the grind out the full depth of asphalt and haul off the material (which could have been used as base) and then two lifts of asphalt paving. City Staff inspected the sub grade and approved if for paving. The base was so unsuitable that they were unable to use a paving machine to place the first layer because even in June it was sinking into the subgrade. But rather than stop the City of Ukiah approved and the contractor continue to place the first course with a dozer which due to the totally unsuitable base it could not be properly consolidated. Several hundred square feet failed within 24 hours. All this with no change order in place and no budget for any of the extra work. The City of Ukiah’s report of this abject cascade failure is disingenuous at best.
With the City of Ukiah Staff annexation ‘proposal’ it seeks to triple the area of the City limits and nearly double the miles of road it would be responsible for when they can’t write a proper specification or manage what should be a road construction contract.
This is insanity.
By no steps yet more to come. Sounds kind of like an oxymoron