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Assembly committee advances near‑term SR 37 project after dispute over ecology and timing
Summary
AB 697 would authorize incidental‑take permitting for a near‑term SR 37 corridor project designed to reduce congestion and fund habitat restoration in the San Pablo Baylands.
Assemblymember Damon Wilson presented AB 697, a bill intended to authorize the Department of Fish and Wildlife to issue an incidental‑take permit for a near‑term improvement project on State Route 37 between Mare Island and Sears Point. The measure is tailored to allow construction work and associated habitat restoration — including preservation and restoration in the San Pablo Baylands — to proceed with regulatory clarity and permit conditions specific to four listed species.
Wilson told the committee the corridor suffers chronic congestion and that the interim project could be implemented more quickly and at far lower cost than the long‑term vision, which he said could exceed $10 billion and take decades to complete. “The restoration work is time sensitive, and we risk losing $70,000,000 — most of it tied to restoration — if the bill doesn't pass this year,” Marin County Supervisor Stephanie Moulton Peters said in support.
Supporters, including the Solano Transportation Authority, said the interim plan would reduce vehicle miles traveled, enable new transit service on a corridor that currently lacks dependable bus service, and advance immediate ecological restoration while the more ambitious, longer‑term solution is funded and developed.
Opponents, including Transform and several conservation groups, argued the bill would effectively fast‑track a highway‑widening project and could displace or delay a more resilient, long‑term climate adaptation plan. Transform called the interim project “a dangerous precedent for future climate‑damaging highway expansion projects” and said a short‑lived widened roadway risks being submerged by sea‑level rise within a few decades.
Tribal representatives also raised concerns about cultural resources and said consultations must be meaningful; the author and sponsors said they have begun and will continue tribal outreach.
Committee action: After lengthy testimony and questions, the committee voted to pass AB 697 as amended to the Appropriations Committee. Members recorded votes during the roll call on the measure; the committee chair left the item open for finalization and co‑author additions.
