Frustrated motorists who’ve anxiously waited for Highway 37 in northern Marin County to reopen will be disappointed to learn Caltrans still cannot estimate when flood-related work will finish.
The highway, a major commuter thoroughfare for people living in four North Bay counties, has been closed in both directions between Highway 101 and Atherton Avenue since Feb. 9.
“We’ve gotten a lot of work done, but with the rain being this unpredictable, we don’t want to put out any guesses because things can change,” Bob Haus, a Caltrans spokesman, said Tuesday.
The highway was partially or fully closed in the same area over the course of 12 days in January. Officials pin blame for the problems on a number of factors including heavy rainfall, high tides, levee breaks and steady erosion beneath the road. The 21-mile highway is one of the lowest-lying in California and was built in segments across marshland skirting San Pablo Bay.
Recent flooding was concentrated along a roughly 1,200-foot section of highway traversing the Novato Creek watershed, which drains into the bay near the mouth of the Petaluma River. Officials say sediment buildup in creeks and streams contributed to flooding of the highway.
Haus said crews have installed larger pipes with gates beneath the roadway to improve drainage.
“There was so much flooding and the water level was so high that drains were working in reverse,” Haus said. “Water was coming back in through the drains and back onto the highway. They don’t do that anymore.”
A 3- to 5-foot barrier of corrugated sheet piling and a separate concrete bulwark were installed along the eastbound lanes to act as barriers to water flowing over onto the road, Haus said.
Crews are now working on rebuilding the section of roadway using a lighter-weight concrete, which Haus said won’t sink as much as more traditional materials. The job will be completed with a new layer of asphalt.
Funding for the work, which officials say could easily top $10 million, is coming from a Caltrans account.
You can reach Staff Writer Derek Moore at 707-521-5336 or derek.moore@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @deadlinederek.
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