North Bay To Receive $20M For Critical Highway 37 Improvements

NORTH BAY, CA — The Federal Highway Administration has allotted $20 million to fund improvements along 10.4 miles of state Highway 37 in the North Bay, U.S. Reps. Mike Thompson and John Garamendi announced Tuesday.

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission — MTC — which coordinates transportation in the Bay Area, will receive the federal grant funds earmarked for the roadway spanning Solano, Napa, Sonoma and Marin counties. The $20 million is from the 2023 Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient and Cost-Saving Transportation —PROTECT — grant program established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.

With the funding, the MTC will carry out its "Resilient State Route 37 – Sears Point to Mare Island Improvement Project" designed to fortify the highway against flooding, improve congestion and maintain the thoroughfare as a critical evacuation route.

"Millions of North Bay residents rely on State Route 37 both in their daily commutes and in times of evacuation following wildfires and major earthquakes," said Thompson, who represents Napa County and parts of Sonoma, Solano, Yolo and Lake counties in Congress. "As the highway faces risks from rising sea levels and traffic congestion, today’s grant will provide critical funding for roadway improvements to fortify our infrastructure against climate change, reduce emissions, and improve public safety and mobility."

The project includes:

• Advancing time-sensitive ecological and resiliency improvements;
• Raising the roadway in low-elevation segments prone to flooding; and
• Constructing slope protection and sheet pile walls to address roadway subsidence.

"This new federal funding will ensure that Highway 37, a critical evacuation and commuter route, remains open and uncongested," said Garamendi, who represents parts of Solano and Contra Costa counties in Congress. "This funding will make it easier for Solano County residents to commute to and from Sonoma and Marin Counties and ultimately reach the Golden Gate Bridge. Congressman Thompson and I fought hard to secure this federal funding from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that we helped to enact. I continue working in Congress to bring home the federal funding needed to modernize and harden California’s infrastructure to climate change."

The Route 37 improvement project is part of a larger corridor plan to improve mobility, reduce emissions and improve safety and public access — better serving North Bay residents.

"This grant is a big step toward assembling the funding packages needed to meet the near-term and long-term challenges facing Highway 37," said MTC Chair and Napa County Supervisor Alfredo Pedroza. "The ultimate goal is a comprehensive overhaul of the entire Highway 37 corridor to make it higher, safer, greener and built to withstand rising sea levels for many generations to come."

In addition to adding carpool lanes in each direction to relieve the bottleneck from Sears Point to Mare Island, Pedroza said MTC is also working to restore vital wetlands and reduce the risk of flooding along the route.

"The FHWA’s support shows this is not just an important Bay Area priority but a national priority too."

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