A bill seeking to speed up a project to widen Highway 37 in the North Bay by waiving certain environmental rules is heading to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk, after being approved by the legislature.

Assembly Bill 697 by Asm. Lori Wilson (D-Solano County) passed the State Senate on Thursday. The bill passed in the Assembly earlier this year with a 70-0 vote.

"AB 697 helps deliver on the promise to residents in the North Bay that we will provide solutions to the crippling congestion on Highway 37," Wilson said in a statement. "At the same time, this legislation reflects the balance we must strike — improving mobility and quality of life for commuters while protecting sensitive ecosystems."

Under AB 697, the bill would allow the project to secure from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife "incidental take" permits of four protected bird and mammal species: the salt marsh harvest mouse, the California Ridgway's rail, the California black rail and the white-tailed kite. Construction crews would still be required to mitigate impacts on the species, including through habitat restoration.

Wilson said without the bill, construction would be limited to 10 to 12 weeks per year.

"Based on their life cycles, it would reduce construction time period to basically about three months out of a 12-month year," Wilson told CBS News Bay Area in May, as the bill was being considered in the legislature. "Which you can imagine if you could only build three months out of a 12 month year, how long that project would take."  

Highway 37 has long been considered one of the most problematic stretches of roadway in the Bay Area. Connecting all four North Bay counties, about 40,000 commuters use the road daily.

A 10-mile stretch between Sears Point and Mare Island is only one lane in each direction, making it among the most congested in the region. In addition, the current roadway is often prone to flooding in the winter.

The project would widen the entire roadway, which connects Highway 101 in Novato and Interstate 80 in Vallejo, to two lanes in each direction. Officials said the widening would also allow the introduction of transit service between Vallejo and Novato.

To address flooding, officials said the project would be built to withstand sea level rise projections through 2050.

According to Wilson's office, the bill would allow work on the estimated $500 million project to begin next year.

Newsom has a deadline of Oct. 12 to sign AB 697 into law.