North Bay Highway To Shut Down To Prepare For El Niño

SONOMA, CA — Drivers will face a 55-hour closure of a North Bay highway later this month as crews work to raise sections of the flood-prone roadway ahead of winter storms, Caltrans said.

Highway 37 is a heavily traveled commuter route connecting Interstate 80 in Vallejo with Highway 101 near Novato. The low-lying roadway regularly faces flooding and is vulnerable to rising sea levels.

State transportation officials have set aside nearly $100 million for early projects in a broader effort to improve the corridor, including bridge repairs and improvements at the Highway 121 intersection. The work scheduled for October is intended to address more immediate roadway and flooding concerns ahead of what is expected to be a historic El Niño season.

The full closure will run from 10 p.m. Oct. 23 to 5 a.m. Oct. 26, on Highway 37 in both directions between Mare Island and Sears Point.

Crews will demolish portions of the median and install temporary concrete barriers to shift eastbound and westbound traffic onto the westbound lanes. Workers will then raise portions of the eastbound roadway by 3 feet to help address flooding and improve the highway’s resilience.

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The closure follows concerns about erosion along the highway’s shoreline and embankment, which were affected by high tides over the summer, officials said.

Detours And Additional Closures

Eastbound drivers will be detoured onto northbound Highway 121, then Highway 12 and Highway 29, before rejoining eastbound Highway 37. Westbound drivers will use Highway 29, Highway 12 and Highway 121 to return to Highway 37.

Caltrans also plans overnight westbound closures from 7 p.m. to 4 a.m. Oct. 21 and Oct. 22.

A separate overnight closure is scheduled for Nov. 13 to remove temporary barriers and shift traffic onto the eastbound lanes. Caltrans said all work is weather-dependent and additional weeknight closures may be needed.

Drivers should expect delays, allow extra travel time, follow posted detour signs and consider alternate routes.

Detour maps are available here.