Airport Way might not be prettier but a smoother ride could be on its way by late 2022.

Public works staff briefed the Manteca City Council Tuesday on progress on efforts to address pavement issues on the nearly three-mile stretch of Airport Way between Woodward Avenue and Roth Road.

To bring the corridor up to the city’s envisioned four lanes with landscaped medians and left turn pockets carries a $130 million cost estimate. A large chunk of that price tag is expected to be paid by developers as they build along the corridor as well as growth fees collected on new homes throughout the city.

For now the city is working on a $4 million endeavor aimed at making the corridor more drivable.

That means the work envisioned to start in the spring of 2022 will be a combination of reconstruction, 2-inch grind and overlay, asphalt rubber chop seal, and slurry seal. The work involves addressing potholes before doing the resurfacing.

Acting City Engineer Ken Jorgensen noted the planned work won’t result in a continuous “pretty new road look” but it will provide a smooth driving surface even though it will be a patchwork of surface applications.

The approach was to maximize what money the city can comfortably spend now to upgrade Airport Way that is destined to see heavier truck traffic as the years unfold.

Segments targeted for reconstruction are:

*Both the northbound and southbound travel lanes between the railroad track and Lathrop Road.

*The northbound lane from Crom Street to the northern edge of the Villa Ticino neighborhood south of Lathrop Road.

*Both the northbound and southbound lanes for a short stretch just north of Airport Way.

*Both the northbound and southbound lanes from the northern edge of the Villa Ticino neighborhood to Louise Avenue.

After Del Webb at Woodbridge resident Bill Barnhardt mentioned the deplorable shape of Airport Way north of Daisywood and the unlikely chance a development would occur to address road work needs, the council asked staff to re-look at that segment.

Mayor Ben Cantu concurred with Barnhardt that the segment of Airport Way is in bad shape.

The mayor noted driving that segment “jars my jaw.”

The rest of the corridor will eventually receive an asphalt rubber slurry or — in the case of newer segments — slurry seal.

The work targeted road issues that need to be addressed within 5 years or else complete failure of the pavement could occur. That includes 8,610 linear feet in need of intermediate repair, 13,195 linear feet that will need maintenance or repair within the next one to two years, as well as 10,665 linear feet that will need maintenance or repair over the next three to five years.

The next step is for staff to conduct sample drills to determine the condition of the base and pavement below the surface. That could show the need for more costly repairs. If that happens there is another $3 million set aside that the city could tap for Airport Way work.

At the same time the pavement work is done, the city will install traffic signals at Airport Way and Wawona Street.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com