Lathrop Road one day will be four lanes between Highway 99 and Interstate 5.

That means more traffic including trucks as the CenterPoint Business Park and Union Pacific intermodal facility for truck-train transfer expansion takes place.

Not only is Lathrop Road essentially a “straight shot” but it has been planned with minimal intersections which tend to increase speed in some instances.

The concern for several residents and the Manteca City Council as the transformation take place is whether Lathrop Road through Manteca is getting less safe. And if so, is there anything that can be done to improve the situation.

Police Chief Nick Obligacion will be providing a report on collisions on Lathrop Road during tonight’s 7 o’clock City Council meeting at the Civic Center, 1001 W. Center St. The council requested the report after safety concerns were expressed by several residents.

There have been 19 collisions on Lathrop Road so far this year. That’s up seven or just over a third based on year-to-date statistics from 2014. Citywide year-to-date collisions are up 3.7 percent from 629 in 2014 to 652 in 2015. Some 2.9 percent of city accidents that have happened this year through September were on Lathrop Road compared to 2 percent for the same time period in 2014.

Of the 19 accidents on Lathrop Road this year, seven involved minor injuries, one was a fatal, and one involved a major injury.

The fatal and major injury accidents occurred 15 hours apart at Airport Way and Lathrop Road. An intoxicated driver was blamed for the fatal that involved two vehicles. The second involved a driver running a red light. It was determined the driver wasn’t feeling well and subsequently failed to stop at the red light.

The police chief noted in both instances the cause was not related to the roadway, environment or equipment. Obligacion noted traffic officers in both instances observed the traffic lights for multiple cycles and determined they were functioning properly.

There was a second fatality accident on Lathrop Road at Cottage Avenue this year. That accident, though was outside of Manteca’s jurisdiction.