San Francisco – – October 07, 2026 -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $13.9 million to the San Francisco Estuary Partnership and the Association of Bay Area Governments to restore 1,500 acres of tidal wetland at Strip Marsh East along the State Route 37 corridor in Solano County, with construction slated to begin in 2028.
Flood cycles have destroyed 800 acres of marsh since 2000
Strip Marsh East, located within the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge, has lost 800 acres of emergent marsh since 2000 due to poor drainage that causes months-long ponding, evaporation, and hypersaline soils lethal to wetland plants. The degradation has stripped habitat from endangered species along a stretch of Highway 37 already prone to flooding.
Engineering plan combines berm lowering with a four-mile tidal channel
Project design calls for lowering intake berms, dredging a four-mile tidal channel, and reusing the dredged material to raise the marsh elevation and build dozens of high-tide refugia mounds. The approach targets restoration of habitat for the Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse, Ridgway's Rail, Longfin Smelt, and juvenile Chinook Salmon.
Jeanette Weisman, State Route 37 Corridor Program Manager for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, said enhancing shoreline wetlands adds resilience to vulnerable infrastructure and the communities and emergency services that depend on it.
Project marks first large-scale nature-based solution tied to Bay Area transportation
James Muller, Acting Director for the San Francisco Estuary Partnership, said Strip Marsh East is the first large-scale nature-based solution integrated into a transportation project in the Bay Area, piloting a funding, permitting, and construction framework intended for regional replication.
Casey Skinner, San Francisco Bay Program Director for Audubon California, noted the marsh supports over 100 bird species, including the endangered Ridgway's Rail, and called the effort a model for pairing climate-smart infrastructure with environmental restoration.
Grant funds sediment analysis to sustain wetlands across San Francisco Bay
Beyond the marsh restoration, the grant finances an upper estuary sediment dynamics analysis examining long-term sediment delivery from the Delta to San Francisco Bay, data needed to sustain tidal wetlands region-wide. The project will also produce a monitored case study documenting how large-scale restoration can protect shorelines while reinforcing transportation infrastructure amid more frequent weather events such as El Niño.
Partners on the project include the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Caltrans, National Audubon Society, San Francisco Estuary Institute, San Francisco Bay Joint Venture, and the University of California, Davis.