In February, Sonoma County’s Westside Road suffered a crippling landslide, cutting off an important access route for the community. Less than seven months later, the community celebrated the successful emergency engineering response and fast-paced design and construction, making it possible to reopen the road to the community.  GLA’s Petaluma-based Principal Engineering Geologist and Project Manager William V. McCormick, PG, CEG, took part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony and celebration along with Sonoma County Public Infrastructure agency leadership, engineering, and road maintenance teams; community members; and the design subcontractors that GLA oversaw as prime contractor.

The Westside Road emergency landslide repair project is just one of six slope and roadside stabilization projects that GLA is assisting Sonoma County with as a result of the 2024/25 storms. As prime consultant for multidisciplinary geotechnical investigation and civil/structural engineering design for storm damage mitigation projects county-wide, GLA is responsible for subcontractor management, assembling teams of civil, survey and structural engineers, and preparation of complete design and specification packages suitable for bidding. These emergency projects were placed on an accelerated schedule in order to minimize road closures and disruption to the public, and are being completed ahead of schedule and on budget. Past projects of this magnitude normally take years to investigate, design, permit, fund, and construct.  Collaboration with all stakeholders allowed the County to prioritize efforts at every stage of the process for rapid completion of the project in under seven months.

Learn more about GLA’s geotechnical engineering services here.  View the County’s video of the milestone celebration here.