NOVATO, Calif. (KRON) – State Route 37 in Novato is partially back open after it was closed in both directions for nearly two days due to flooding.
Caltrans said they were lucky Monday was a holiday because it allowed them time to pump the water off SR-37 before rush hour traffic starts back up on Tuesday. At least one lane will remain closed in the westbound direction until further notice.
“That’s a big success. It’s been closed for almost 2 days,” said Jeff Weiss with Caltrans.
Weiss said the Novato Creek overtopped its levy which then allowed for water to flow onto SR-37, and more water is still coming in. “We’ve been pumping it out and with a little bit of a dry spell today they’ve been able to get ahead of the problem,” said Weiss.
He said the one westbound lane is staying closed because that is where their pumps are set up to continuously remove water. He said to expect delays going westbound for your Tuesday morning commute.
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“I would recommend leaving very early and scheduling plenty of extra time. A good thing would be to check Caltrans quick maps or some other mapping service to find out what the delays are and just expect delays, so that way you won’t be frustrated if you run into significant delays,” said Weiss.
There is no timeline for when that last westbound lane will reopen. Caltrans said they will be monitoring the rain expected on Wednesday.
