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California Bill Clears The Way For SR 37 Construction To Begin
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) calls California Governor Gavin Newsom’s approval of Assembly Bill 697 “a major advance” for the state, regional, and county agencies partnering on a $500 million project to address traffic congestion and environmental issues along State Route 37. The measure Newsom signed this week will allow construction to begin next year under special fish and wildlife agency permits without which construction would have been virtually impractical.
The initial phase of what’s called the SR 37 Sears Point-to-Mare Island improvement Project will replace a bridge, improve an intersection, and raise low-lying roadway areas where San Pablo Bay flooding is a consistent problem. Two subsequent phases will involve widening a 10-mile section of the 21-mile-long route that currently has just one lane in each direction. When that work is completed, the highway will have new HOV and tolled managed lanes. The project scope includes wetlands restoration that will also protect the roadway and implementation of public access improvements.
As ambitious and costly as it is, the project is considered an interim solution to preservation of the highway against expected sea-level rise. A proposed future project would elevate the entire route on a causeway that is estimated to cost billions of dollars to construct.
Sources: MTC news release, MTC project fact sheet, Marin Independent Journal, Caltrans SR 37 Corridor Projects website, TRN
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