Upwards of 20 bus shelters will start appearing on Manteca Transit routes in April.

Siegfried Engineering was awarded a $59,500 contract by the Manteca City Council on Tuesday to design the shelters and do necessary engineering work.

The shelters are being made possible by $1,353,798 in federal stimulus funds and state money set aside specifically for transit projects. The shelters will all have benches. In addition another 20 stops are expected to receive benches only.

The shelters will be placed at heavy use locations primarily in commercial areas and bus stops such as those serving hospitals and the Civic Center.

The city is investing $9.2 million in transit-related projects in the coming 10 months.

 None of the projects involve general fund money. The general fund is where the city had to bridge a $3.7 million deficit using reserves and other cost-cutting measures. None of the money for the $9.2 million in projects can legally be used to cover general fund expenses such as police and fire services or parks and streets.

The $6,685,340 transit station on Moffat Boulevard at South Main Street is being funded primarily by the countywide Measure K transit sales tax. The 3.1-acre project includes 100 parking spaces. It is expected to break ground in late fall.

Other transit-related projects are:

•buying three Dial-a-Ride vehicles and four fixed route vehicles for Manteca Transit for $823,042.

•installing  fiber optic cable to run from the transit station at Moffat and South Main to the Civic Center for $300,000.

• installing safety cameras at various bus stops along the city’s transit system for improved security for $133,400.