Highway 37 reopens after flooding closures

The highway had been closed by flooding in both directions between Highway 101 and Atherton Avenue since Feb. 9, and for two weeks in January.|

The flooded western section of Highway 37 reopened early Thursday after crews worked furiously for two weeks to get the thoroughfare back into drivable condition.

The highway had been closed in both directions between Highway 101 and Atherton Avenue since Feb. 9, when the North Coast was pounded by heavy storm systems that brought flooding to the low-lying roadway, used by 40,000 vehicles on a daily basis.

The route, which serves as a main east-west corridor for the North Bay from Vallejo to Novato, was also closed in the same section for 12 days in January because of storm-caused flooding.

“They finished ahead of schedule and under budget,” said state Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, referring to the 18-hour days put in by Caltrans and its contractor, Ghilotti Construction Co. of Santa Rosa.

The most significant work was repairing parts of the affected road where it had sunk as much as 2 feet, thanks to a combination of recent rains, high tides, a levee break and overall erosion over time.

“That was a massive undertaking,” McGuire said.

Caltrans had estimated the emergency work could total more than $10 million.

As part of the work, crews installed larger, 36-inch pipes under the roadway to help with drainage, McGuire said, though Caltrans was still waiting Wednesday to receive new gates for the drains, which would better control water flow so it would not back up as it did in recent storms.

Other work included installing a barrier of sheet piling - from 3- to 5-feet high - into the ground as well as concrete bulwark along the eastbound lanes, which had shifted in the recent storm.

Eventually, that section of the highway will have to be raised from 4 to 5 feet higher to bring it out of the flood zone, McGuire said. In the long term, the cost, including possibly building an elevated causeway, could total more than $1 billion.

To pay for such efforts, McGuire said his major focus of the legislative session will be passage of legislation that would provide $6 billion annually for state road improvements through vehicles fees and a gas tax increase.

You can reach Staff Writer Bill Swindell at 707-521-5223 or bill.swindell@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @BillSwindell.

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