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Committee advances interim SR 37 project bill amid environmental and tribal concerns
Summary
AB 697 would authorize incidental-take permits for a near-term State Route 37 corridor project that sponsors say provides urgent mobility relief and habitat restoration; opponents argue it risks widening a climate-vulnerable highway and could undermine long-term resilience planning.
The Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife moved AB 697, which would clear an incidental-take permitting path under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA) for a near-term improvement project on State Route 37 between Mare Island and Sears Point.
Author Assemblymember Gallagher told the committee the SR 37 corridor creates a long-standing bottleneck that adds up to 90 minutes or more to some commutes and severely limits regular transit service; the interim project aims to provide phased congestion relief while also advancing tidal and wetland restoration projects in San Pablo Bay. “The interim project is an estimated $500 million and can be phased for a more efficient construction schedule that could begin in less than five years if funding is secured,” Assemblymember Gallagher said.
Supporters including local transportation authorities and county supervisors emphasized the urgency. Marin County Supervisor Stephanie Moulton Peters argued that most of the $70 million in restoration funding tied to the project could be lost if the interim project is not authorized.
Opponents — including environmental groups, Transform (a regional advocacy group), and several tribal representatives — urged caution. They said the interim project could lock in a widened roadway that federal and state climate projections expect to be inundated by sea level rise in coming decades, and that the package leans on an SB 147 streamlining mechanism not intended for highway widening. “Greater ecological benefits would be achieved by moving forward sooner with the ultimate project,” Transform argued.
Committee discussion focused on the trade-offs between near-term congestion relief, environmental restoration and tribal cultural-resource protections. Several members urged continued negotiation with tribes and resource agencies; one member said he would withhold his vote to seek additional refinements. The committee advanced the bill to Appropriations with members reserving the right to seek changes later.
Ending: AB 697 now proceeds to the Appropriations Committee; sponsors said they will continue consultation with tribes and resource agencies while pursuing funding for the longer-term corridor solution.
