Caltrans this afternoon closed the far-right southbound lane of Highway 101 between River Road and Hopper Avenue for emergency road work and allowed all traffic to use the car-pool lane.

Spokesman Bob Haus said the closure was to allow crews to shore up barriers and to clean out drains along the stretch north of Santa Rosa before a major rainstorm hits tonight or Friday. He said the work was planned for Wednesday night but equipment breakdowns delayed the work until this afternoon, and now the work is being done on an emergency basis.

Car pool hours end at 6:30 p.m. The road work may last longer than that tonight, so be aware of construction crews along that stretch.