Caltrans breaks ground on Novato Narrows project on Highway 101

NOVATO, Calif. (KGO) -- Officials today broke ground on a project to improve a stretch of Highway 101, known as the Narrows, between Petaluma and Novato.

Many commuters know firsthand about the bottleneck called the Narrows, a commute that squeezed into just two lanes, but not forever. In the past 25 years, traffic flow that has doubled to 135,000 cars per day.

"It is very difficult to traverse this corridor right now. We're trying to make it bearable," said Diane Steinhauser of the Marin Transportation Authority.

The project will cost $735 million of state, local, and some federal money, and take about three years.