State Route 37 in California’s Sonoma County could benefit from a $500 million highway widening project. The route is to the north of San Francisco and Oakland and the project has been proposed by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). The widening work would add a carpool lane to the existing general purpose traffic lane in either direction.
However, there are some questions about how the work will be carried out along the 33.5km route. A Caltrans report from 2011 said that the road is suffering subsidence. The proposed work suggests raising the road alignment by around 200mm. But the Caltrans report has said that the road should be raised by 1.8-2.1m due to rising sea levels.
The SR 37 alignment runs around the north side of the San Pablo Bay, passing through the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Reserve, adding environmental concerns over potential damage to the wetlands habitat to pressures facing the highway upgrade proposals.
According to Caltrans, State Route 37 provides an important regional connection linking the north, east and west SF Bay Region following along the northern shore of San Pablo Bay. This 33.6km roadway links US 101 to I-80, connecting areas in Marin, Sonoma, Napa and Solano counties. The work for State Route 37 Corridor requires finding solutions to traffic congestion, periodic flooding, and rising sea levels, balancing transportation needs with protecting sensitive marshland habitats. Caltrans is working with its partner agencies, The Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the four North Bay County Transportation Agencies to develop a more resilient corridor.
