Some relief is coming for drivers tired of dealing with the Highway 101 construction from Rohnert Park to northern Petaluma.

Caltrans spokesman Robert Haus said, weather permitting, the agency plans to open up in mid- to late November the extra north and southbound lanes on 101 from Rohnert Park Expressway south to Petaluma Boulevard North, making 101 three lanes in each direction.

But the highway will remain only two lanes in each direction from Rohnert Park Expressway north to Santa Rosa Avenue, and that stretch is not expected to be widened until late 2012 because crews need to finish building the new Commerce Boulevard-Wilfred Avenue overpass. So there will be traffic bottleneck at times north and southbound there.

Haus said the remodeled highway from RPX to Petaluma Boulevard North likely won’t be completely finished when the new lanes open, so there might be some uneven pavement and drivers will have to pay extra attention. Final paving and other finishing touches would be done after the rainy season.

He said the pre-finish opening will be similar to what Caltrans did a couple of years ago in the stretch of 101 from north Santa Rosa to Windsor: Letting drivers use the extra lanes before the entire project was complete.

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