Governor signs bill, paving way for Highway 37 upgrades

Gov. Newsom this week signed state Assembly Bill 697 —  authored by Assemblymember Lori Wilson of Solano County — into law. The signing marks a major advance for long-running efforts by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC); Caltrans; the California State Transportation Agency; transportation agencies in Solano, Napa, Sonoma and Marin counties; and state resources agencies to start work on a suite of projects to enhance North Bay marshlands and wildlife habitats, reduce flooding, improve traffic flow along the 10-mile stretch of State Route 37 between Sears Point in Sonoma County and Mare Island in Vallejo, and introduce transit service between Vallejo and Novato.

The new law allows the Highway 37 project to secure California Department of Fish and Wildlife permits for the “incidental take” of four fully protected mammal and bird species during construction so long as these impacts are fully mitigated, including through the planned habitat restoration. This clears the way for the multi-agency Resilient 37 partnership team to begin construction in 2026 on the estimated $500 million Sears Point-to-Mare Island Improvement Project. Without AB 697, work crews would be limited to just 10 to 12 weeks of construction each year, leading to higher costs and lengthier disruption of the protected species’ habitat.  

“AB 697 represents a major step forward for the people of Solano County and the entire North Bay region,” Assemblywoman Wilson said. “This bill will improve the quality of life for thousands of working families by addressing daily congestion, creating good-paying jobs, and protecting the natural environment that makes our region special. I’m grateful to the Governor for signing this bill and to our local and regional partners for their collaboration.”

The Highway 37 project will improve travel-time reliability by adding an additional travel lane in each direction between Sears Point and Mare Island — where there is now just a single lane in each direction — while also promoting restoration of some 1,200 acres of historic San Pablo Baylands, thus improving habitat for the species identified in AB 697: the salt marsh harvest mouse, the California Ridgway’s rail, the California black rail and the white-tailed kite. The three-phase project will be built to withstand sea level rise projections through 2050, with the time-sensitive habitat restoration providing nature-based flood resilience and restoring wetlands ahead of rising San Pablo Bay levels.

The California Transportation Commission in June awarded MTC and its Resilient 37 partners a $73 million grant through the competitive Trade Corridors Enhancement Program established by the landmark 2017 Senate Bill 1 transportation financing package to help fund the $251 million second phase of the Sears Point-to-Mare Island improvements, which will include the addition of a second eastbound lane and work to restore critical marshlands west of Mare Island that protect the roadway from rising waters. The establishment of two traffic lanes in each direction along the entire 21-mile Highway 37 corridor between Vallejo and Novato will allow for the introduction of transit service between Solano and Marin counties. Chronic congestion currently makes reliable scheduling impossible. 

In testimony to the state Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee earlier this year, Marin County Supervisor and MTC Vice Chair Stephanie Moulton-Peters noted that two members of her staff who commute to San Rafael from Solano County lose up to 90 minutes a day to congestion. “This bill is urgent,” said Moulton-Peters at the hearing. “We’ve been working on this project for more than a decade… We shouldn’t let another generation sit in traffic or let wetland restoration opportunities slip away.”