The long-awaited expansion of Highway 101 from Novato to Petaluma is mostly complete. New lanes are now open.
North Bay commuters’ daily dredge to and from work got a jolt of energy recently when first the new southbound lane of the Novato Narrows opened Sept. 24, followed by a Sept. 29 opening of the northbound lane. For the first time, three lanes both ways ferry drivers from the San Marin/Atherton exit in Novato to north of San Antonio Road near Petaluma, a 16-mile stretch known for decades as the Novato Narrows—where four lanes dropped quickly to two, creating daily bottlenecks and no shortage of stop-and-go drive time for area commuters.
The $762 million Marin-Sonoma Narrows widening project has been in various stages of construction for 14 years. While lanes are open to traffic, a final phase of the project is still underway for additional paving, striping and signage, including some overnight closures of northbound Highway 101 to allow for the work.
Meanwhile, as the narrows finds relief, other commute-heavy portions of Highway 101 are absorbing new traffic woes. As the Novato Narrows project comes to completion, Caltrans is extending HOV lane hours to 5 to 10 a.m. and from 3 to 7 p.m. in both directions—an increase of between three to four hours throughout Marin and Sonoma counties, which previously enforced slightly different carpool hours. The new HOV hours bring the North Bay into conformity with the rest of the nine-county Bay Area—but have increased morning and afternoon commutes through Santa Rosa and central Marin.
