Critical Aug. 20–21 votes would advance long-awaited safety, congestion relief and resilience improvements on vital Bay Area connector
Sonoma County, Calif. — Aug. 19, 2026 — A broad coalition of North Bay business, labor, transportation and community leaders is urging the California Transportation Commission to approve nearly $100 million in critical funding and project allocations this Thursday and Friday to move forward urgently needed improvements to State Route Highway 37.
The California Transportation Commission is scheduled to consider the funding at its Aug. 20–21 meeting in San Diego. The vote represents an important milestone in the long-running effort to modernize Highway 37, the 21-mile east-west corridor connecting U.S. 101 in Novato in Marin County with Interstate 80 in Vallejo in Solano County and serves as a key transportation hub for Marin, Sonoma, Solano and Napa counties.
The California Alliance for Jobs, Fix 37 Now, Bay Area business organizations, construction labor unions and business groups are calling on commissioners to approve two key items totaling approximately $100 million:
- $62.793 million for Phase 1 of the SR 37 Sears Point to Mare Island Improvement Project, the first major construction-phase funding milestone for the near-term project; and
- $32.354 million in supplemental construction capital and support funding for operational improvements at State Routes 37 and 121, reflecting increased project costs necessary to deliver the planned improvements.
“Highway 37 has reached a point where delay is costing North Bay families, workers and businesses every single day,” said Josh Arce, Executive Director of the California Alliance for Jobs. “We have the opportunity to save residents, workers and visitors more than 1.5 hours of commute time. The current, unacceptable condition of State Route 37 disrupts livelihoods and economies across the Bay Area. These votes give California the opportunity to move from talking about the problem to building the solution.”
More than 40,000 vehicles travel Highway 37 each day, and commuters can face delays exceeding 90 minutes. For workers commuting between comparatively affordable housing in Solano County and jobs in Marin and Sonoma counties, the improvements could save more than 1.5 hours in a daily round trip.
The corridor is also an important Northern California freight route and emergency transportation corridor, with no existing transit alternative capable of replacing its function.
The need is especially significant for working families. Approximately 85 percent of Highway 37 users have household incomes below the Bay Area median, compared with about 38 percent of Bay Area freeway users overall. Coalition members said that makes Highway 37 both a transportation investment and an economic equity priority.
“This is about the people who build, maintain and power the Bay Area economy,” said representatives of the participating labor and construction organizations. “Thousands of working families depend on Highway 37 to get to work and home again. Approving these investments will mean safer and more reliable commutes, thousands of good-paying construction jobs and a stronger North Bay economy.”
The Sears Point to Mare Island Phase 1 project would begin transforming a heavily congested two-lane section of Highway 37 into a modern four-lane corridor while advancing significant environmental restoration and resilience work.
A major component is the SR 37 Bridge Lengthening at Tolay Creek, which would extend the existing bridge from approximately 60 feet to 375 feet. The project would remove a longstanding hydraulic constraint, improve tidal exchange and habitat connectivity, and help enable large-scale restoration of the surrounding San Pablo Baylands.
Near-term work is expected to support more than 4,700 construction jobs, reduce Bay Area-wide vehicle miles traveled by an estimated 20 million miles annually, and advance restoration and improvement of hundreds of acres of baylands.
Highway 37 is already vulnerable to storm flooding, and portions of the low-lying corridor face increasing threats from sea-level rise. Coalition members emphasized that mobility, environmental restoration and climate resilience must be addressed together.
“The choice before the California Transportation Commission is about much more than one highway project,” said Arce. “Highway 37 is a lifeline connecting communities, jobs and commerce across the North Bay. California has an opportunity this week to advance a solution that reduces congestion now while protecting this essential corridor for generations to come.”
The approximately $190 million Sears Point to Mare Island project already has substantial funding commitments from federal, regional and local sources, including federal PROTECT funding, Metropolitan Transportation Commission resources and contributions from North Bay county transportation authorities. Approval of the pending allocation would allow the next major phase of work to advance.
Business and labor leaders said the broad coalition behind Highway 37 modernization reflects the extraordinary regional importance of the corridor.
U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, Marin County Supervisor Stephanie Moulton-Peters, Assemblymember Chris Rogers, Sonoma County Supervisor Rebecca Hermosillo, Bay Area Council Senior Vice President of Public Policy Adrian Covert, the California Alliance for Jobs, Fix 37 Now, Operating Engineers Local 3, United Contractors, Associated General Contractors, and Laborers’ International Union of North America Locals 324 and 261 are among the leaders and organizations supporting action to improve the highway.
The coalition is urging the California Transportation Commission to approve the Highway 37 items when commissioners meet Thursday, Aug. 20, and Friday, Aug. 21.
“After years of study and planning, this is a moment for action,” Arce said. “Highway 37 is too important to the North Bay and the entire Bay Area to allow congestion, flooding and an aging roadway to continue dictating people’s lives. California should approve this funding and get these improvements moving.”
About the California Alliance for Jobs
The California Alliance for Jobs represents labor and management working together to advocate for investments in California’s transportation and infrastructure systems that create good-paying jobs, strengthen communities and support the state’s economy.
About Fix 37 Now
Fix 37 Now is a coalition of community, business, labor and regional leaders advocating for improvements to State Route 37 to reduce congestion, improve safety and reliability, strengthen climate resilience and protect the highway’s role as a critical North Bay transportation connection.
CONTACTS
Sam Singer
415-336-4949
[email protected]
Lily Hamson
310-433-6576
[email protected]
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