Before they OK the city spending $1 million to redo the 100 block of North Main Street, the Manteca City Council wants to make sure they put in place improvements that don’t have to be changed again 5 to 10 years down the road to accommodate growth.
Councilman Gary Singh noted Main Street that currently funnels down to two lanes between Alameda Street and Yosemite Avenue will likely need to be four lanes all the way from Lathrop Road to the 120 Bypass given growth projections will take Manteca for 76,000 residents today to 125,700 by 2040.
“I don’t want to have to (come back and look at it again in) 5 years or 10 years,” Singh said. “Let’s do it the right way now.”
Council colleague Richard Silverman echoed Singh’s sentiments. While he said he wasn’t ready to address the 200, 300 and 400 blocks of North Main Street now but he’d prefer a solution that would allow the city to take that section of North Main Street to four lanes when the time comes without having to go back and spend a significant amount of money.
One solution he’d like to see considered instead of going from one through lane in each direction to two northbound lanes and one southbound lane would be to remove the medians as well as the six remaining bulb outs. That would ultimately allow two through lanes in each direction with traffic signals set so left turn and through movements in each direction on Main Street at the Center Street and Yosemite Avenue intersections would have separate green lights allow protected left turn or through vehicle movements on the inside lane during the signal cycle. It would essentially double traffic flow capabilities in each direction.
Silverman also believes a thin, raised concrete median should go down the center of the 100 block of North Main to eliminate mid-block left turns into parking lots.
Silverman said some businesses may not be happy with that part of his proposal but ultimately with the traffic flow Main Street will carry he said it will have to be done.
Mayor Steve DeBrum agreed that the city needs to pursue a solution that takes the entire North Main Street corridor into consideration when it comes to traffic movement and not just the 100 block of North Main.
“We need to do it right the first time,” the mayor said.
After Tuesday’s council meeting DeBrum said the city also needs to address alleys and parking.
In doing so the city would be building on the plan devised for the central district more than 15 years ago. It looked to encourage businesses to upgrade back entrances with the city working to enhance alleys with lighting as well as other improvements to make them more appealing to get people to use rear parking lots and not try to park along congested Main Street.

Council doesn’t want
block torn up during
holidays, rainy season
There will be time to relook at the 100 block of North Main given the council was in agreement with a point made by businesswoman Brenda Franklin that starting road work in October or the fourth quarter of the year that covers the critical holiday resale season could have severe economic consequences.
That means the 100 block probably won’t be worked on until March 2018 at the earliest.
Councilman Mike Morowit, who is also a business owner but not in downtown, concurred. He noted that the fourth quarter is the key to retail sales.
Councilwoman Debby Moorhead added the starting a road project that late would mean weather issues could delay the work. She also pointed out asphalt can’t be applied unless the air temperature gets to a certain point.
As it stands now the plan calls for three 10 foot wide through travel lane, 10-foot wide turn pockets along with medians, bike lanes in each direction with no on-street parking.
Singh asked if the bike lanes could be eliminated and another travel lane added without sacrificing the left turn pockets and median.
He noted there would be bike lanes in place for just one block.
Public Works Director Mark Houghton said a 2008 state law that calls for “complete streets” requires bicycle movements to be accommodated. He noted the planned resurfacing of Main Street from Yosemite Avenue to Atherton Drive will include putting in bike lanes.
“Eventually there will need to be bike lanes on North Main Street,” Houghton said.

Workshop on Yosemite,
Main road projects set
for July 12 at
transit center
When that happens, it would require either eliminating parking where it is allowed in the 200, 300 and 400 blocks or placing bike lanes between the parked cars and travel lanes while narrowing the travel lanes and continuous turn lane to 10 feet from the standard 12 feet.
 Ryan Harris, president of the Downtown Business Alliance, asked the council to have the business and property coalition provide input to make sure that an effective, long-range solution is put in place when it comes to the 100 block of North Main Street.
The city is planning a workshop on Wednesday, July 12, at the Manteca Transit Center to seek input on the 100 block of North Main Street as well as work being planned on Main Street south to Atherton Drive and on Yosemite Avenue from Main Street to Cottage Avenue.
Silverman also wanted to make sure the delay on the work in the 100 block of North Main wouldn’t postpone work on repaving Main Street from Yosemite Avenue to Atherton Drive.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com