Cheryl Hurd

Flooding Shuts Down Lanes on Hwy. 37 in Novato

Flooding due to a levee break has shut down lanes on Highway 37 in Novato, with much of the closures expected to last through the weekend.

All westbound lanes on Highway 37 from Atherton Avenue to Highway 101 in Novato are closed, and eastbound traffic is facing a partial closure, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The water eroded the foundation underneath a set of railroad tracks near the highway. CHP and Caltrans initially shut down one lane of westbound Highway 37 late Thursday, affecting the evening commute, with the second lane closing hours later.

On Friday night, crews decided to shut down one eastbound lane to give crews and contractors access to fix the breached levee. The lane will stay closed until the repair is finished, CHP Marin said Saturday.

Some drivers are upset because they thought recent work on the road was supposed to prevent this kind of thing from happening.

"They retrofitted it last year they fixed it. It’s going to be pretty hard on us. My reaction to it, I’m a little disappointed," Sonoma-resident Cameron Stuckey said.

CHP officials said the work was done to improve drainage. "All that is holding. It’s not the same problem that happened here," CHP said.

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