California is moving forward with a controversial effort to expand Highway 37, even as experts warn the road may soon be underwater.
Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday signed Assembly Bill 697, fast-tracking construction on a $500 million widening project for the heavily traveled Bay Area corridor. The legislation, authored by Assemblymember Lori Wilson, D-Suisun City, allows exceptions to endangered species protections so work crews can operate on a longer schedule.
Wilson and Caltrans officials argue the move is necessary to relieve gridlock.
“A win for smart infrastructure, the environment, and working Californians stuck in traffic,” said Steve Clark, chair of Transportation California, calling the plan “cost-effective.”
Highway 37 connects Vallejo and Solano County — where housing remains relatively affordable — to job centers in Marin and Sonoma counties, where many commuters are priced out of living locally. Transportation officials say adding a lane will significantly reduce travel bottlenecks.
But the expansion is being met with skepticism — not because of traffic concerns, but because the roadway itself is literally sinking.
State documents previously obtained by The Sacramento Bee show that Highway 37 is subsiding into Bay Area marshland, surrounded by sinking levees and berms. Caltrans has projected sea levels could rise by a foot by 2050, threatening to permanently inundate sections of the roadway.
Photos taken in Novato in 2019 show standing water along the shoulder after storms, with flooding forcing multiple closures.
Adding more asphalt could make things worse. The agency has acknowledged that “additional weight from construction could further accelerate the rate of subsidence.”
While one bridge along the route would be lifted by several feet, most of the widened roadway would be raised no more than eight inches.
Caltrans itself admits the expansion “does not address sea level rise.” Experts warn the project could buy time — but not safety.
The true long-term solution, according to Caltrans studies, is an elevated causeway that would lift the entire highway above future flood levels. The estimated price tag? More than $10 billion — and no dedicated funding in sight.
Until then, the state is betting that congestion relief now outweighs climate risks later.
Originally reported by Ariane Lange in The Sacramento Bee.
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