Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit has secured $81 million in state funding for its planned service extension to Healdsburg.

The California Transportation Commission approved funding from two grant programs during meetings in Sacramento on Thursday and Friday. Senate Bill 1, which raised gas taxes to fund transportation infrastructure projects, created both programs.

The commission awarded SMART $62 million from the Solutions for Congested Corridors Program and $25 million from the Local Partnership Program. While $81 million is for the Healdsburg line, the other $6 million is for the purchase of a zero-emission locomotive, said Julia Gonzalez, a SMART spokesperson.

SMART opened its northernmost station in Windsor last month. The agency plans to install 9 miles of track north to Healdsburg and later expand services further north to Cloverdale, which is 17 miles from Healdsburg.

“This $81 million award brings us closer to fulfilling the vision that voters had when they approved the SMART rail and pathway project,” Marin County Supervisor Mary Sackett, vice chair of the SMART board, said Friday.

She added that the extension to Healdsburg will connect people to jobs and support tourism industries. SMART’s goal is to complete the project in 2028.

SMART expects the project to cost about $269 million.

In October, SMART received an $81 million award from the state’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program for the Healdsburg project. The agency said the project funding was also being matched by $188 million in pending federal, state and local funds.

The SMART service extension plan was among seven Solutions for Congested Corridors Program projects, worth a total of $482 million, recommended by the California Transportation Commission staff for approval for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 fiscal years.

Such projects were deemed eligible for program funding because they focus on improving transportation corridors and reducing congestion, said Naveen Habib, associate deputy director of the commission.

Eddy Cumins, the general manager of SMART, told commissioners that the extension to Healdsburg will reduce congestion on Highway 101 and expand access to affordable housing and economic centers. The rail service also plans track upgrades for passenger and freight services, he said.

“SMART ridership is currently at an all-time high and is continuing to increase,” Cumins said. “The new Windsor station is already performing at a high level and I expect similar results from Healdsburg.”

SMART’s average weekday ridership increased from 2,206 riders in 2023 to 2,774 riders last year, according to a staff report.

Cumins said the state’s $81 million award is a “transformational moment” for SMART and the North Bay.

“This funding propels us forward to deliver rail service to Healdsburg in 2028 and continue building the SMART pathway — bringing world-class multimodal options to northern Sonoma County,” he said.

Also during the state commission hearing, much attention centered on a plan for a 6-mile BART service extension from downtown San Jose to Santa Clara. Commissioners approved $75 million in funding for a project that includes improvements at four stations in Silicon Valley.

“Clearly, we can’t solve every problem through transportation, but I think that the staff’s work today will lead us to a good path and reduce the out-of-pocket expenses for the average Californian, and put people to work,” Darnell Grisby, chair of the California Transportation Commission board, said Thursday.