Outlook
Fw: Urgent Request for Action on the Deteriorating Condition of Oak Road From Heather Abrams <[email protected]>
Date Wed 4/15/2026 12:43 PM
To Christine Foster <[email protected]>
Regards,
Heather Abrams
Town of Fairfax | Town Manager
www.townoffairfax.org
From: Jayne Hulbert <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, April 13, 2026 4:36 PM
To: Jayne Hulbert <[email protected]>
Subject: Urgent Request for Action on the Deteriorating Condition of Oak Road Dear Members of the Fairfax Town Council,
The Town of Fairfax has been my home for fifty years. During that time, I have lived through floods, earthquakes, major storms, and even the arson-set fire that destroyed the three‑story house next to mine. I also witnessed the consequences of deferred maintenance after Proposition 13, when the Town lacked the funds to repair Cypress Road following severe winter storms—leaving residents unable to reach their homes.
I am writing today because I fear we are repeating that history. I am asking you to take meaningful action on the worsening and unsafe conditions on Oak Road, rather than continuing to tell us that the Town has no available funds. Over the past four+ years, my husband, Gene Duffy, and I have exchanged numerous emails and had multiple conversations with Public Works Directors, Council members, and the Town Manager about the ongoing deterioration of Oak Road in the Upper Cascades.
In 2023, the Town invested significant time and resources into a comprehensive review of all Fairfax streets to develop a five‑year improvement program. Oak Road received a Pavement Condition Index (PCI) of 11, one of the lowest possible ratings. At that time, we were encouraged that improvements would follow.
Instead, shortly after being encouraged that repairs would be made, the Town conducted its first slurry seal program—and once again, Oak Road was excluded from any improvement budget. We continue to be told that the road is “too far gone” for slurry seal, that major rehabilitation is required, and that there are no funds available. The most recent estimate suggests repairs may not occur until 2028–2029.
At the April 15, 2026, meeting, the Council will consider a resolution authorizing a shared services agreement with the Town of San Anselmo for a slurry seal project not to exceed $500,000. The staff report notes “slurry seal is typically applied to streets with a PCI between 70 and 90.” “It costs roughly one‑tenth the price of repaving. Ideally, a newly paved street is slurry sealed every 5–7 years (up to three times), then allowed to deteriorate to a PCI of 55–65 before receiving a thin overlay.” Because Oak Road’s PCI in 2023 was only 11, our road is never in any maintenance cycle. It has been allowed to deteriorate to the point of near failure.
I urge each of you to personally drive Oak Road and experience its condition firsthand. You will be forced to slow to a crawl to avoid severe jolting from the broken pavement. Please pay particular attention to the right side of the road as you drive uphill between 17 and 51 Oak Road, where the Marin Municipal Water District replaced water lines years ago. The pavement above those lines is now heaving or the road is sinking, creating a potential risk to water service in the Upper Cascades. I am copying this message to the General Manager of MMWD for that reason. Additionally, the area just above 51 Oak Road—previously repaired with a guardrail—is again experiencing pavement receding.
Every year we are told that Oak Road requires major rehabilitation and that funding will come “later.” Meanwhile, the road continues to deteriorate. We fully understand the Town’s financial challenges.
However, it is neither prudent nor fiscally responsible to continue postponing necessary repairs. The longer the delay, the more expensive the eventual reconstruction will be. It is unrealistic to believe that Oak Road can safely remain in service until 2029.
We are asking for a realistic, actionable plan—not another deferral. Oak Road residents along with those residing further uphill on Toyon deserve a clear timeline and a commitment to addressing this long‑neglected infrastructure failure.
I look forward to your response and to learning how the Town intends to move forward with urgently needed repairs. Thank you.
Jayne Hulbert
415-300-7636
cc:
Heather Adams
Kristin Arnold
Ben Horenstein, Marin Water
Ranjiv Khush, Marin Water