Funding Secured To Widen 101 In Marin-Sonoma Narrows

HIghway 101 in Larkspur, California.
Photo credit Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
NOVATO — Transit officials are trying to relieve some of the most congested areas in the North Bay with projects that commuters say are long overdue. 

Fnding has been secured to widen an 11-mile, two-lane section of Highway 101 through the Sonoma-Marin Narrows, where the freeway connects the two counties. 

Caltrans has a project on the drawing board to redesign the interchange at Highway 37 and Highway 121, a major chokepoint near the Sonoma Raceway. 

"It's horrible, it's horrible everywhere you go." said Jennifer St. John about driving between Petaluma and Novato on Highway 101. She's thinking about moving away from the region to avoid the hassle. 

"I plan my days around it," she said. "I leave as early as possible just to avoid it, and in the afternoon, I leave early so I can avoid it that way." 

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What commuters may not want to hear is that plans to widen Highway 37, which links Vallejo and Marin, are still at least a decade away.

"[Highway> 37 is really the big sticker for me. You really have to time your departures from either the city or from Napa, Sonoma, up there," one commuter said. "There should be a fix for that."