Town of Yountville • 6550 Yount Street • Yountville • California • 94599 Telephone (707) 944-8851 • FAX (707) 944-9619
January 7, 2025
Office of the Secretary of Transportation
Attn: Office of Infrastructure Finance and Innovation
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
Re: Support for Napa Valley Transportation Authority’s RAISE Grant Application for the SR 29 Napa Valley Forward Oakville Intersection Improvement Project Dear Secretary of Transportation:
The Town of Yountville enthusiastically supports the Napa Valley Transportation Authority’s RAISE Grant application for the SR 29 Napa Valley Forward Oakville Intersection Improvement Project.
NVTA is working with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) on the Napa Forward program that will make significant improvements at the intersection of SR 29 and Oakville Cross Road in the unincorporated areas of Napa County. The planned improvement includes construction of a compact roundabout, a proven countermeasure designed to improve highway operations, safety, and connectivity for all transportation modes. This improvement aims to relieve congestion, enhance multi-modal safety, and reduce serious and fatal injuries along the corridor.
The Project will also support travel for adjacent Equity Priority Communities in south St.
Helena and the unincorporated area around the Town of Yountville. These communities have concentrated populations of low-income, elderly, and disabled, and minority populations. SR 29 represents the only contiguous north-south route connecting Napa County to the adjacent counties of Lake and Solano. Therefore, it is a critical evacuation route during wildfires and other emergencies.
The highway improvements will also provide significant economic benefits, particularly as Napa County continues to recover from the impacts of the pandemic. By reducing commute times, increasing access to jobs, and generating both direct and indirect employment opportunities, the project will bolster the local economy. The project will also improve connections to the planned Napa Valley Vine Trail, a Class I multiuse facility that will run January 7, 2025
parallel to the west side of SR 29 between St. Helena and Yountville, creating safer accessible routes for cyclists and pedestrians traveling between those communities.
Thank you in advance for your consideration of funding this project. I fully support NVTA in their efforts and look forward to the implementation of this project and the benefits it will bring to the Valley.
Sincerely,
Margie Mohler, Town Mayor