A year or so from now, turning off and on to Woodward Avenue where it meets Moffat Boulevard will be less treacherous.

That assumes work starts next spring on the first phase of a three-part plan costing in excess of $131.5 million to improve safety and capacity at the 120 Bypass and Highway 99 interchange.

The City Council on Tuesday when they meet at 6 p.m. is expected to take another step toward making the upgrades a realty.

The council is being asked to accept grant deeds from properties Caltrans acquired in a bid to make local road improvements necessary to accommodate new traffic flow connected with a replacement interchange being built at Austin Road.

The project will convert Woodward Avenue — originally constructed as a narrow, former two-lane country road — where it crosses the railroad tracks into a copy of what the city put in place down the tracks to the west at Industrial Park Drive/Spreckels Avenue over 12 years ago.

Plans are to:

*Modify the existing two-lane at grade crossing and widen the street to accommodate two lanes in each direction.

*An 8-inch raised median.

*Bike lanes.

*The intersection of Woodward Avenue and Moffat Boulevard will be realigned to eliminate the skewed angle to create a true 90-degree T-intersection

*A new traffic signal at Woodward Avenue and Moffat Boulevard with interconnection between the traffic signal and railroad signal house will be installed, including an eastbound pre-signal.

*Fencing will be installed along Moffat Boulevard to prevent illegal parking within the railroad right of way.

*Installing four (4 flashing light signal assemblies with automatic gate arm for eastbound and westbound motorists (two per approach).

*Installing 88 feet of concrete crossing surface

The Woodward Avenue work It is part of the $55 million first phase of the Highway 99/120 Bypass upgrade on target to break ground in spring of 2024. The overall, three-phased project has a $131.5 million price tag.

 The first phase improvements would:

*widen the connector from the eastbound Bypass to southbound Highway 99 to two lanes.

*replace the existing Austin Road overcrossing with a new bridge that would also go over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks.

*swing Woodward Avenue south to connect with Austin Road.

*temporarily shut down the southbound off ramp and northbound on ramp at Austin Road and the Highway 99 interchange.

*build a new northbound off ramp to Highway 99 at Austin Road.

The configuration would allow traffic to use Moffat Boulevard — which would flow under Austin Road — to access southbound Highway 99 as it currently does.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com