SACRAMENTO—Just two days before the California Transportation Commission decides the fate of billions of dollars in highway projects, Assemblywoman Patty Berg on Monday asked Northern California residents to help block a Bay Area effort to strip away money intended for Highway 101.

“We’re up against some very powerful forces that aren’t concerned about our region,” said Berg, D-Eureka. “I need your help to ensure that Northern California gets its fair share.”

At issue is a $4.5 billion slice of the $20 billion transportation bond that voters approved in November. Transportation Commission staff have recommended spending $177 million on the long-delayed Willits Bypass project. Since that time, however, a group of Bay Area leaders have suggested that Willits should get none of that money, asking that it all go to Bay Area projects instead.

“We need to make our voices heard,” said Berg. “We’re asking for a tiny fraction of this money, and it’s not fair for the Bay Area to take it all and leave us with nothing.”

Berg asked residents to fax or email a letter or note to the Commission urging the CTC to fund the Willits Bypass project during a vote scheduled for Wednesday at a commission meeting in Irvine. The commission’s fax number is (916) 653-2134 and the email address is California_Transportation_Commission@dot.ca.gov.

The Willits Bypass would eliminate congestion on Highway 101, the lifeline of the North Coast. This jammed artery has no parallel routes within 110 miles. Experts say that once the bypass is complete, it will relieve a major bottleneck in 200 miles of highway from Santa Rosa to Eureka.