Highway 37 widening project in line for $73 million grant

A major project to relieve bottlenecks and protect against flooding on Highway 37 could get a big funding boost.

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The California Transportation Commission staff is recommending the project receive $73 million in Senate Bill 1 gas tax funds. The funding is part of a $810.5 million “Trade Corridor Enhancement Program” grant package being allocated across the state.

The three-phase Highway 37 project — which will widen a 10-mile stretch from Sears Point to Mare Island, among other improvements — is one of 24 projects recommended for funding.

The Senate Bill 1 funding will specifically support the estimated $251 million phase 2 of the project, which focuses on the eastbound improvements.

The commission is set to consider the outlays at meetings scheduled for June 26 and 27.

“This contribution is very significant,” said Bart Ney, spokesperson for Caltrans, the agency designing and constructing the project. “The $73 million allotment accounts for about 29% (of phase 2) of the project.”

East bound traffic on Highway 37 reaches Mare Island in Vallejo, Calif. on Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. (Alan Dep/Marin Independent Journal)

So far, $153 million has been secured for phase 2, Ney said.

Highway 37, the 21-mile corridor connecting Marin County and Vallejo, is used by 40,000 commuters daily and has become a centerpiece in the local and national debate over how to adapt to climate change.

The highway experiences frequent flooding that has forced closures spanning several days. Caltrans forecast that sea level rise threatens to regularly inundate the highway by 2040.

Ultimately, planners say the entire highway will need to be elevated, an effort costing billions of dollars. The widening project is an interim strategy.

Overall, the three-phase project is expected to cost around $500 million, said John Goodwin, spokesperson for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, an agency sponsoring the Caltrans project.

Phase 1 will replace the existing Tolay Creek Bridge situated just east of the Highway 37 and Highway 121 interchange.

The existing bridge is about 60 feet long and is vulnerable to flooding. It will be exchanged for a longer span more than 400 feet, allowing more water to flow into and out of the creek channel.

Phase 2, which is being supported by the new allocation, involves a bundle of improvements. That includes adding a tolled eastbound lane; raising the grade in sections most prone to flooding; widening the Sonoma Creek Bridge and adding a bike detection system to improve safety and relocating power equipment.

The plan also involves adding California Highway Patrol observation areas, vehicle pull-out areas, a traffic signal at Noble Road, as well as slope protection and drainage improvements, and improvements to the tidal salt marsh and public access. Implementing a rideshare program is also planned.

Staff of the California Transportation Commission said the project would improve equity by providing greater travel reliability and offering a “means-based” toll discount program. Air quality would be improved by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The project would also improve economic vitality by supporting commuter access to jobs, staff said.

“This Project supports healthy ecosystems and communities,” the staff recommendation says. “Elimination of the bottleneck will improve safety by reducing rear-end collisions. It will also improve the efficiency of SR 37 during evacuations, especially during wildfires, which have become more frequent due to global warming. The Project also supports the restoration and resilience of the historical San Pablo Baylands through the Strip Marsh East ecological enhancement.”

Phase 3 will complete similar westbound improvements, Ney said.

“If the commission approves the Highway 37 grant, we expect to be able to start work on the Sears Point to Mare Island project in 2026,” Marin County Supervisor Stephanie Moulton-Peters said.

Moulton-Peters serves on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. She is also a member of the State Route 37 Policy Committee, which meets regularly to review progress of the project planning.

“Highway 37 is a complex puzzle that is going to take a long time and a lot more money to solve,” Moulton-Peters said. “But getting started on the first phase of the Sears Point to Mare Island improvements would not only improve near-term mobility for some 40,000 travelers each day who commute to Marin and the North Bay, but would simultaneously initiate restoration of the Tolay and Sonoma Creek watersheds that will benefit the natural environment and also prepare for future sea level rise.”

MTC also applied to the California Transportation Commission for $25 million from the Senate Bill 1 “Local Partnership Competitive Program.” However, state staffers did not recommend that allocation.

“MTC will work with project partners to identify other fund sources to fully fund the project,” Ney said.

Meanwhile, Assembly Bill 697, which aims to streamline environmental permitting to speed construction of the project has passed the Assembly floor and is referred to the Senate.

The bill was introduced by Assemblymember Lori Wilson, a Democrat from Suisun City in Solano County.