Fix California Highway 37 now
UPDATE
Now with the urgency to have our economy move forward there is national pressure to fund infrastructure projects. It’s our hope that the State of California Government wakes up to the fact that they need to add Highway CA37 to that funding. Time will tell if our representatives will drop the ball again.
Contact your local, county and state representative now
Mike Thompson, California’s 5th Congressional District – Phone: (202) 225-3311
The dread of driving on Highway 37
Decades ...
Over the past decades the approximate 10 mile two-lane stretch of California Highway 37 (beginning from the East near the base of the Highway 37 Napa River Bridge, to the ending at the West at the 37 / 121 Interchange, Sears Point) has been practically unchanged.
With very few improvements and certainly with no widening. The exception was when years ago there was an elimination of all passing lanes when a concrete divide was constructed. Sadly this was only accomplished when numerous traffic fatalities occurred within a period of less than a year.
Today
Traffic Congestion ...
Today the Highway 37 narrows has a terrible reputation of traffic congestion. That’s what happens when you try to funnel up to 40,000 motorists from a 65 mile an hour 4-lane freeway into a two-lane ‘highway’. Congestion is so bad that the less than 10 mile (beginning before 3 PM) section that should take perhaps 10 to 15 minutes turns into a grueling stop and slow experience of upwards of an hour, or more. The experience is akin to dealing with a traffic accident on your commute route every day.
Sadly crossing East bound 37 on a typical afternoon commute can easily take upwards of 2 hours. Though the average is 90 minutes or about 13 miles per hour! Ouch.
Maintenance
Maintenance ...
The lack of maintenance of highway 37
The maintenance of highway 37 falls short of even being average. With the new California fuel tax revenues that’s pumping (bun intended) to the State of California, the counties and cities. It will be interesting what these agencies excuses will be why highway 37 is STILL in such a mess. (by the way the California officials in a 2018 announcement of new road construction did NOT of course include ANY funding for 37. Surprise, surprise. but the ‘good news’ is that finally in 2019 SB1 funds has repaved a limited a section of 37 between 80 and 29. But here again there is was no repaving of areas that are sagging and cracking creating dangerous driving conditions.
There’s still countless pot holes, wide cracks and uneven roadway throughout. Dangerous? You bet it is. Not to mention all the pot holes and cracks that abound the narrows and beyond are getting worse.
The Highway 37 bridges; Most of the bridges have a dangerous ‘wash board’ effect. It’s bad. The entrances and exits of most of these bridges and even the overpasses are hair raising. Steep and uneven. The Petaluma River Bridge has easily more that a hundred pot holes and numerous cracks.
Planning
Planning ???
Planning. Or what truly appears to be a complete lack of timely planning would be amusing if wasn’t sadly true. Why would a 10 mile section of highway take decades to plan and never get implemented? To top it all off, take another 60 YEARS to begin construction??? Are you kidding? 2080???
FIX37NOW wonders WHY vista points were constructed at great expense so close to the Petaluma Creek Bridge? So darn close to the highway in fact that it would seem that at the very least that one Vista Point would have to be destroyed to make way for the much needed highway widening. A recently construction of a Paddle Boat Dock is also extremely close and potentially be in the way of widening. These two examples show the public that the agencies in charge are not able to work together to truly implement a workable and timely plan whatsoever.
Car Pool Lanes
Car Pool Lanes?
The motorists that have to brave the ONLY real East-West North Bay route have NO other option than to drive Highway 37.
There are NO Carpool Lanes, NO transit, NO light rail … absolutely nothing to ease their commute. FIX37NOW can not emphasize this enough that when the Highway 37 narrows widening is finally implemented it MUST have a Car Pool or perhaps an Express Lane. This is the ONLY way we can get commuters out of the stop and slow grind of highway 37 traffic in an effective way.
SMART Train
SMART Train - Point Sonoma to Vallejo?
Most folks probably don’t realize that the SMART train system already owns the Black Point swing bridge and from there the tracks that meander around Sears Point through the Cities of Sonoma and Napa. FIX37NOW has a radical proposal to make. Expand the existing SMART system to Sonoma Point (at the Marina) with a Train Station (simply a relatively inexpensive raised platform) where a LARGE FREE commuter parking lot could be constructed. This alone would have a potential to relieve Highway 37 and Highway 101 congestion by providing easy access to SMART. The traffic price? Another traffic light (until an overpass is constructed).
The next phase would have SMART service continue to the City of Vallejo with new tracks laid at the beginning of the 37 and 121 interchange. Those tracks would follow highway 37 until reaching Vallejo at the Mare Island Baylink Ferry Terminal and then perhaps onward to the existing rails and vehicle drawbridge (crossing the Napa river) and following Mare Island Way to the Vallejo Ferry Terminal and transit hub. Then continue to an expanded Park n Ride transit area on Curtula Parkway (I-80 / I-780), and of course to the City of Napa following existing rail that follows highway 29 to Napa and beyond, (yes, surprisingly mostly on existing under used rails).
Ferry Terminal
Point Sonoma Ferry Terminal
Imagine traveling to San Francisco by a convenient and quick way from Highway 37 … via the Baylink Ferry.
This proposal has been ‘on the books’ for quite a while. Better yet create a transit area at the Sonoma Point Marina with not only a Ferry Terminal but with a combination of SMART train service and bus links.
Now wouldn’t that make sense? Relieve some of that terrible Northbound and Southbound 101 traffic and get that Marina dredged so it can actually be used as a marina again. Imagine a nature preservation palivian with access to a bit of shopping and to eateries. A place where SFBA tourists could use as a starting point for a Napa / Sonoma county wine tour.
Toll Road
Stay stuck in traffic - OR? Do this?
There is a proposal to impose a toll road to facilitate the expansion of the 10 mile 2 lane Highway 37 narrows. Heading this proposed toll road (which of course no one has any idea how much the toll would be or are avoiding to tell us) are the folks that run Sonoma Race Track. Heck we don’t blame them. SOMETHING has to be done, sooner than later.
But imposing another increase in road use tax is really not an answer. Californians pay already above average taxes which certainly hasn’t related to better roads. If necessary let’s meet half way … Have an express lane for those that afford another road use tax and still relieve the traffic now!
Fix 37 Now!
If you’ve made it this far you must be interested in getting California Highway 37 traffic and lack of consistent maintenance resolved. Some topics we haven’t covered yet is the negative economic impact of not fixing California Highway 37 or the impact that Highway 37 has on local city and county roads. We’ll delve into these topics and more shortly as this website for a better Highway 37 expands.
The elephant in the room - Funding
The quick answer … Yes, there is funding for this project. Yes, it can easily be done much sooner. It is simply getting the agencies and political leaders to reset their priorities. Frankly we can not wait any longer. How? Get in contact with them. Don’t except their excuses, politely demand action now and don’t fall for their delay tactics. This is too important.