Marin commuters frustrated by chronic flooding at Manzanita Park and Ride

MILL VALLEY, Calif. (KGO) -- In Marin County, even a dry morning still led to problems at what has become a chronic sore spot for commuters: the Manzanita Park and Ride, which is frequently closed due to flooding.

An entire section of parking lot Friday was blocked off and flooded. The people using this lot are frustrated. Caltrans says they are too.

Peter Schumacher owns the Buckeye Roadhouse that at times also becomes a bus-stop for passengers forced cross a freeway onramp from the flooded parking lot.

"It seems nobody is doing anything about it," he said.

It happened for Stephanie Williams on Friday. "It is kind of scary coming across. That is the freeway," Williams said. She said she hopes Caltrans fixes the area.

But they haven't. Bob Haus, a spokesperson for Caltrans spoke to ABC7 News about the issue. "If it were an easy answer to this we would have implemented it a long time ago," Haus said.

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The flooding is a consequence of big rains, high tides and low elevation relative to sea level, which keeps rising with climate change. When Manzanita backs up, so does traffic. Flooding can cause the lot to close for days at a time.

Then angry residents call Raul Rojas, who runs public works for Marin County, which has no jurisdiction over the state land.

"You know we get the same explanation. They are working on it, they're looking at it," Rojas said. When he calls Caltrans, they tell him that short of moving the lot, it's complicated.

"We are working with all of our partners involved here, the county, the city, transit agencies. We are looking at all the options we have," Haus said.

"But the bottom line is it is not on their priority list," Rojas said.

Haus said it is a priority. "We're looking at it," Haus said.