San Rafael will receive $1.4 million in sales tax funds for road and sidewalk projects, including $76,000 to repair the Lincoln Avenue bridge over San Rafael Creek, after the Transportation Authority of Marin approved the allocation in July.

The money comes from Measure AA, the countywide half-cent sales tax that voters renewed in 2018 for 30 years. TAM approved a total of $11.76 million in road funding across all 12 Marin jurisdictions, the Marin Independent Journal reported.

San Rafael's share breaks down as follows: $789,000 for the city's pavement management program, $350,000 for road safety projects, $76,000 for Lincoln Avenue bridge repairs and $33,000 for the sidewalk repair program.

Mayor Kate Colin, who chairs the TAM board, called the funding "a critical investment in the local streets and roads Marin residents use every day."

The Lincoln Avenue corridor carries approximately 17,000 vehicles daily along its 1.05-mile stretch, according to a March 2026 TAM corridor study. The road serves as a neighborhood connector, a transit route and an alternate relief route for U.S. 101. Between January 2022 and March 2025, the corridor recorded 48 injury crashes, with 23 percent involving pedestrians or bicyclists.

The bridge matters for access.

In its funding application, the city said the bridge provides direct access to downtown San Rafael, the transit center and commercial areas, and that keeping it operational maintains connectivity for transportation-disadvantaged populations.

San Rafael also has an additional $1.1 million in Measure AA funds available, but city officials asked TAM to hold that allocation until they identify another qualified project.

This year's road disbursement is larger than usual. TAM changed how it distributes funding, resulting in a one-time double allocation for fiscal year 2026-27, with about $12.9 million available in the local roads category. Jurisdictions receive shares based on a 50-50 split of lane miles maintained and population.

At a separate TAM board meeting on June 26, Colin said the local sales tax revenue "makes us incredibly competitive when we're going for outside grants," as the Marin Independent Journal reported. That remark came during the board's approval of TAM's $72.2 million annual budget.

Marin County government received the largest single allocation at $4.3 million for pavement preservation on roughly 15 miles of county roads. Novato is set to receive $2.3 million for 12 projects, including more than $1 million for the Olive Avenue overhaul.

The $1.1 million in held funds for San Rafael has no announced timeline for allocation.