Highway 101 widening project complete through Marin-Sonoma Narrows, marking milestone for $1.5 billion North Bay project

"Just before dawn on Monday morning, Caltrans achieved a major North Bay milestone although there are still a few signs on Highway 101 indicating otherwise. Right Lane Ends warned a sign facing southbound motorists a mile south of Petaluma's Kastania Road exit, just beyond a decommissioned gas station and the billboard for a long-gone Cigarette Depot. Drivers can now feel free to ignore that warning sign, which, as of early Monday morning, had become obsolete. The lane in question now keeps right on going."

"The opening of those lanes, and closing of those chokepoints, marks the completion of the Marin-Sonoma Narrows project, which focused on a 16-mile stretch of the highway between Novato and Petaluma. Work on that project began in 2011 and has cost an estimated $762 million. That undertaking was part of an even larger, roughly $1.5 billion public works project designed to create a continuous carpool lane from Sausalito to Windsor a vision which, as of Monday, has now been realized."

Caltrans opened continuous high-occupancy vehicle lanes on northbound and southbound US-101, eliminating the last two pinch points along a 58-mile stretch. The Marin-Sonoma Narrows project focused on a 16-mile segment between Novato and Petaluma and completed the final choke points that forced three-lanes-down-to-two merges. Work on the project began in 2011 and cost an estimated $762 million. The Narrows was part of a larger roughly $1.5 billion public works effort to create a continuous carpool lane from Sausalito to Windsor. Outdated signage still warns of ending lanes, but the lanes now remain continuous. The opening occurred around 5 a.m. on Monday morning.

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