Back in blacktop: Hwy. 37 open at last

The flooded stretch of Highway 37 east of Novato opened ahead of schedule on Thursday, but much work remains to be done.|

The on-again, off-again section of Highway 37 in Novato was open again at 5 a.m. Thursday, after CalTrans contractors worked 18-hour days 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 heavy storm systems combined with high tides brought flooding to the low-lying roadway, used by 40,000 vehicles daily.

The opening of the passage caught some motorists by surprise, as Caltrans had said just two days earlier they had no timeline for repairing the road, estimating it would take into the weekend. But Caltrans initiated an emergency contract that allowed Ghilotti Construction Co. of Santa Rosa to work around-the-clock on Feb. 14, and they finished “ahead of schedule and under budget,” according to state Sen. Mike McGuire, in whose district the road is located.

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. The highway has become an increasingly crowded commuter route, especially in the stretch beginning at the Sears Point intersection where it narrows to one lane in each direction until it crosses the Napa River on the outskirts of Vallejo, in Solano County.

As well as installing improved drainage and larger, 36-inch drain pipes, the effort to reopen the highway meant regrading the freeway pavement to a higher profile, since it had sunk as much as two feet over time due to a combination of recent rains, high tides, a levee break and overall erosion.

Off-peak hour travelers may encounter lane closures during the next few months as construction crews continue with median, shoulder and drainage work as weather conditions improve.

“These improvements will not make the road flood-proof, but they will ensure future flooding episodes are fewer in number and shorter in duration,” said Caltrans District Director Bijan Sartipi.

Eventually, the inundated 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. The long-term cost, including possibly building an elevated causeway, could total more than $1 billion.

To fund such efforts, McGuire said his major focus of the coming 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.

Press Democrat reporter Bill Swindell contributed to this article.

Contact Christian at christian.kallen@sonomanews.com.

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