Highway 37 reopened in North Bay after storm-related repairs shore up westbound lanes

Caltrans said westbound lanes of Highway 37 just east of Highway 101 were reopened Wednesday morning after a six-day closure stemming from flooding caused by last week’s storms.

The westbound lanes were reopened in time for the morning commute, according to the agency’s tweet just before 7 a.m.

The step followed about four days of round-the-clock repair work on the roadway, including placement of a temporary dam and draining of a nearby pasture that had been flooded when a levee breached in two places, spilling water onto the westbound lanes.

The eastbound lanes remained opened throughout the closure, which affected the low-lying segment between Atherton Avenue and Highway 101.

Crews remain at work on longer-term repairs in the area, including a fix to the damaged levee and railroad tracks that parallel the highway. Caltrans was erecting a flood barrier along a stretch of the affected highway to prevent flooding in the short-term.

Caltrans advised commuters to anticipate delays and said traffic controls would remain in place for the work area west of Atherton Avenue.