State pact seeks to advance fixes to Highway 37 flooding and traffic woes

A coalition of state agencies announced Wednesday a partnership to redesign parts of traffic-clogged Highway 37, starting with a new lane in each direction.

A coalition of state traffic and environmental agencies announced Wednesday they will work together to redesign Highway 37, the North Bay’s key east-west route, adding new lanes in each direction to help unclog traffic and advancing other near-term fixes to address chronic flooding problems.

The effort, which state and local officials touted as historic, focuses on the 21-mile state highway linking Marin, Sonoma, Napa and Solano counties from Interstate 80 in the east to Highway 101 at Novato in the west. Daily, it is traversed by 40,000 vehicles.

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Rep. Jared Huffman, who represents Marin County and part of Sonoma County, said he was pleased an agreement was reached but he questioned the interim widening project it would advance.

The new lanes would be added across wetlands, at a cost of “at least $500 million,” he said in a statement, and the affected stretch could be under water 15 years after completion.

The San Rafael Democrat, a former environmental attorney, called the project’s environmental report “flawed” and the partnership’s agreement “vague” and “carefully worded to avoid any binding, enforceable provisions.”

“Those who share my concerns about the interim project and those who share my strong support for the ultimate project will need to stay engaged and keep working to ensure that the improved messaging reflected in this partnership agreement translates to actual improvements in the interim project,” Huffman said.

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By:  Colin Atagi
Source: Press Democrat

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