Weekend closures to shut Highway 37 near Vallejo and westbound I-80 in San Francisco

Drivers traveling between Vallejo and Sears Point or entering San Francisco face two major highway closures over the weekend of Oct. 23. Construction will shut both directions of State Route 37 along the North Bay corridor and a section of westbound Interstate 80 in San Francisco, with both routes scheduled to reopen early Monday.

The Highway 37 shutdown covers the stretch from Mare Island in Vallejo to Sears Point. It is scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. Friday and last 55 hours, ending at 5 a.m. Monday. Both eastbound and westbound lanes will be closed during that period, requiring drivers to take other routes around the work.

The work on Highway 37 includes removing the center median and shifting all traffic onto the westbound lanes. The project is intended to prepare the corridor for anticipated El Niño weather, heavy rain and possible flooding. Those preparations involve raising sections of the roadway by three feet.

For eastbound trips affected by the Highway 37 closure, the recommended detour uses State Route 121. Drivers heading west are advised to take State Route 29 to State Route 12, then connect with State Route 121. That route takes traffic past Sonoma Raceway as it bypasses the closed section between Vallejo and Sears Point.

In San Francisco, the separate closure will affect westbound I-80 between 5th Street and 15th Street. It begins at 11 p.m. Friday, an hour after the Highway 37 shutdown starts, and continues until 6 a.m. Monday. The westbound section will remain fully closed for the weekend while crews complete the scheduled work.

Caltrans crews will use the San Francisco closure to finish concrete repaving on the freeway deck. The work follows a similar project on the eastbound lanes that was completed earlier in the year. This weekend's closure applies to the westbound stretch identified between the two streets.

Caltrans strongly urges motorists to avoid entering San Francisco by way of the Bay Bridge during the closure. The agency recommends public transportation or another bridge crossing as alternatives for reaching the city.

Transportation officials also recommend using public transit whenever possible to get around the weekend construction. The closure schedules, project details and suggested alternate routes were provided by Caltrans.