Water stands near the shoulder of Highway 37 in Novato after a storm on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019. The North Bay highway will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday to prepare for El Niño storms this winter, according to Caltrans.
Alan Dep
Marin Independent Journal
Central Valley motorists making their way into the North Bay this weekend may experience some delays as Caltrans shuts down Highway 37, a key regional connector. But there are ways travelers can circumvent the traffic.
Both directions of a 10-mile stretch of Highway 37 will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday so crews can prepare the road for impending El Niño storms, Caltrans said in a news release. The closure will extend from just west of Vallejo near Wilson Avenue to Sears Point, at the Highway 121 split.
“Significant delays and increased travel times” can be expected while the North Bay highway is closed to passing traffic, Caltrans said. However, there are some alternate routes.
Travelers headed to the Napa Valley or Sonoma County coast can make a fairly easy diversion by exiting Interstate 80 about 6 miles north of Highway 37.
Highway 12 provides for a direct — though slightly more winding and arguably more scenic — drive into the northern and eastern portions of the North Bay.
Traffic headed to Marin County locations can avoid the closure by staying on I-80 through the East Bay and then taking Highway 580 near Richmond to cross the Richmond Bridge.
For those that forget about the closure and approach Highway 37, detour signs will direct motorists north around the closure, adding about 17 miles. This route includes Highways 12, 29 and 121.
Highway 37 will be closed for 55 hours from Friday to Monday as crews work to prepare the road for impending El Niño storms, according to Caltrans. A detour will be in place, but it is about 17 miles longer than the usual route. Caltrans District 3
The most direct routes to San Francisco and the East and South bays do not involve utilizing Highway 37.
However, if Sacramento-area residents are hoping to skip all the traffic that could culminate from the closure, another option is not choosing a car.
Capitol Corridor, which provides Amtrak-operated train service between Auburn and San Jose, operates 11 westbound routes on weekend days out of the Sacramento Valley Station. Riders wanting to stop in San Francisco or even San Rafael can switch to the Bay Area Rapid Transit trains or buses in Richmond, which is about a 90-minute ride. Tickets going this distance are about $28.
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Madison Smalstig covers transportation for The Sacramento Bee. Before joining The Bee, she reported on breaking news, focusing on crime and public safety, in the North Bay for three years. Smalstig is a born and raised Hoosier and earned degrees in journalism and Spanish at Indiana University.