Highway 37 closure due to weekend flooding to extend into Monday
MARIN COUNTY – One of the most important roads in the North Bay, a stretch of Highway 37 remained shut down Sunday due to flooding.
As of Sunday night, the road was shut down between Highway 101 and Atherton Avenue in Marin County. Workers used multiple pumps to drain water away from the road down into Novato Creek.
For many frustrated drivers, these pumps couldn't go fast enough.
Novato driver Alka Sunak said the closure and detours added 30 minutes to her drive.
Sunak was heading to her family business, Rossi's Deli, to help out. The store is located next the closed highway.
"All the ramps are closed, they're flooded," said Sunak.
Two ramps that connect Highway 101 and Highway 37 were also under water.
She said the closure was a double whammy: adds to her commute time and hurts the family business.
"We've been losing money. Sometimes, it's only like two people walking in (to shop) through the day," Sunak told KPIX.
Caltrans said Novato Creek overflowed the levee and flooded the highway on Saturday.
Prone to flooding, Highway 37 is a workhorse connecting drivers between Marin County and Vallejo.
"It adds at least 30 minutes to my commute," complained North Bay driver Jose Martinez.
"I think I'm just going to cancel my meetup with friends in San Rafael," said drive Kim Clement.
Local, state, and federal politicians have been talking for decades to fix or replace Highway 37 because it gets flooded so often. So far, no solutions.
"It's a lack of political will, we've just got to spend the money to fix the problem," said Clement.
"I feel horrible, because it just takes a lot of time, my days off get shortened," said Martinez.
Caltrans said a long-term fix for Highway 37, which is about 21 miles long, would likely cost billions of dollars.
The agency was hoping to reopen the highway on Monday. But they said they simply didn't have a time frame because it continued to rain Sunday evening.