Southwest Manteca continues to set the pace for new home construction in Manteca.

Final maps that will allow two endeavors southwest of the Airport Way and 120 Bypass interchange to proceed were approved by the Manteca City Council on Tuesday.

One is for the third unit of the overall 319-home Denali development on 83.5 acres that will allow 66 of the homes previously approved to be built.

It includes improvements pegged at $4.5 million.

Among those improvements are upgrades to Woodward Avenue as well as constructing a roundabout at the intersection of Woodward and Mckimley avenues.

The 66-homes are being built to the northwest of that intersection.

The roundabout will be much more muscular than two existing roundabouts on Woodward Avenue to the east.

That’s because besides reflecting upgraded standards, the roundabout will be the first built in Manteca where an arterial crosses a collector street.

McKinley, which is being constructed to the east of the original McKinley Road, will within two years have an interchange with the 120 Bypass that is now under construction.

As such, it will take pressure off of the Airport Way interchange that serves the rapidly growing southwest portion of Manteca.

The city is moving toward using more roundabouts for a number of reasons based on safety and keeping traffic moving as they:

*Reduce speeds.

*Keep traffic moving which reduces idling that contributes to air pollution.

*Make it easier for pedestrians to cross in a safe manner.

*Eliminates ongoing traffic signal maintenance costs.

*Are not rendered ineffective by power failures.

*Reduce T-bone collisions that tend to result in more serious injuries and more extensive vehicle damages.

The second map involves the 1,266-lot Trails of Manteca further to the west on Woodward Avenue and south of the gated Oakwood Shores community.

The action Tuesday created several large lots that the Trails developer can use to finance various future phases.

Last year, the city approved final maps for four units that created 259 of the initial 1,266 lots.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com