Manteca municipal staff is recommending the City Council embrace a capital improvement project plan for the fiscal year starting July 1 that includes $11.5 million in street-related improvement.

Included in the plan the council will review during a special meeting at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Manteca Senior Center, 295 Cherry Lane for possible funding in the 2021-2022 budget are:

*$2 million to fully fund the $3.8 million project for the Main Street widening and paver project from Yosemite Avenue to Alameda Street.

*$4.1 million to fully fund the $7.7 million first phase project for addressing the most pressing pavement replacement needs on the Airport Way corridor from the 120 Woodward Avenue  to Lathrop Road and using a combination of 2-inch asphalt overlay, asphalt rubber chip seal, and slurry seal.

*$111,000 to fully fund an $868,000 project to install a pedestrian crossing, add a two-way left turn lane, and install bike lanes along Yosemite Avenue between Walnut Avenue and Main Street.

*$532,170 to fully fund the $3.1 million project to rebuild and resurface streets located in the Springtime Estates neighborhood.

*$450,000 to fund the $2.75 million project to rebuild and resurface streets located in the Mayors Park neighborhood.

*$495,000 to fully fund the $3.1 million project to update traffic signal coordination for improved traffic flow.

*$268,000 to fully fund the $2.6 million project to replace traffic signs throughout the city with retroreflective signs.

*$80,000 to craft a local roadway safety plan.

*$2.1 million needed to develop a transportation master plan.

*$250,000 as the city’s share toward a traffic signal at Mission Ridge and Union Road.

Airport Way project comes

with $130M sticker shock

The sticker shock item for the meeting is for the widening and repaying Airport Way all the way from the 120 Bypass to Lathrop Road, a distance of 2½ miles.

The capital improvement plan reflects a future request of $130 million that doesn’t include the $28 million or so that would be needed for the least expensive option of widening and upgrading the Airport Way interchange at the 120 Bypass using a diverging diamond interchange such as was built at Union Road.

The first phase that will start construction in the fiscal year starting July 1.

The initial phase of three phases delineated previously will also include will acquiring right-of-way for a traffic signal and median that will be installed in conjunction with the Rotten Robbie’s gas station development.

Phase II includes widening Airport Way from the 120 Bypass to Yosemite Avenue to four lanes.

The final phase includes widening sections of Airport Way to six lanes.

The overall $130 million price tag can be reduced somewhat by shifting cists to property fronting the corridor as it develops.

Main Street road congestion

project may be cannibalized

As for the Main Street widening project that is ready to go to bid, the council “paused” moving forward last month after staff convinced them to wait until June. That was so staff could make their case that widening the last remaining segment of two lane travel on the heavily traveled Main Street corridor from the 120 Bypass to Lathrop Road should not happen as it could hurt the vision staff has for downtown.

Staff suggested last month that the pavers could somehow still be done and shift money away from Main Street to help fund work on the Airport Way corridor.

Doing so, however, would completely gut the promise three consecutive councils have made to the community to address the most egregious arterial traffic flow in Manteca which is along Main Street as it passes through downtown.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantcabuletin.com