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Caltrans Shortens Highway 101 HOV Hours in Marin and Sonoma for Late-February Rollout

Officials reversed the expanded schedule after a corridor study and commuter complaints showed the longer restrictions worsened congestion in general lanes.

Overview

  • Weekday carpool hours will shift to 6–9 a.m. and 3–6:30 p.m. along roughly 52 miles of Highway 101 from Windsor to the Richardson Bay Bridge.
  • Caltrans, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, and local partners agreed to the revised timetable at an executive freeway management committee meeting.
  • The change follows a traffic analysis conducted after September’s expansion to 5–10 a.m. and 3–7 p.m., which coincided with completion of the MarinSonoma Narrows project.
  • Crews will update roadside signs in the coming weeks, with enforcement of the new hours expected to begin in late February, weather permitting.
  • Officials cited vocal commuter feedback and the end of solo EV access under the Clean Air Vehicle decal program as factors, with the morning southbound bottleneck between Novato and San Rafael standing out in the data.