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DC trip pushes 120 work to ease Ripon street congestion
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The Ripon City Council will meet tonight to discuss the upcoming 2025 One Voice trip in Washington, DC.

This is part of the San Joaquin One Voice, which is SJ Council of Government’s federal agency program that promotes projects, programs, and issues of regional significance o federal legislators and agencies.

At the 6 o’clock monthly session in the Council Chambers, 259 N. Wilma Ave., elected leaders will look at possibly sending a representative or representatives to join the SJCOG group advocating the State Route 99 / 120 Connector Project, Phase B, along with other regionally significant projects.

Phase 1A of the project is entering the construction phase, with SJCOG’s intent being to complete the design and right-of-way phases near the completion of Phase 1A, allowing Phase 1B to enter construction seamlessly.

In the past 10 years, the City of Ripon has submitted projects, including the South San Joaquin Irrigation District Surface Water Connection along with Altamont Commuter Express Multi-Modal Station, in hopes of receiving federal funding at the One Voice trip.

Phase 1B calls for widening the connector from northbound 99 to westbound 120 and adding a westbound auxiliary lane on Highway 120, between Highway 99 and Main Street in Manteca in order to improve the interchange operations while keeping commuters on the state highway system rather than using the surface streets in Ripon to avoid the interchange.

The 2025 One Voice trip is tentatively scheduled for May 19 through May 25. The projected cost for each One Voice participant would be about $5,000 paid via the General Fund.

In other agenda items:

• Staff recommending Council to approve implementing the Feb. 1, 2025 rate increases for water (2 percent), sewer (4 percent), and garbage (4 percent) enterprise funds that were originally recommended in the 2020 5-year Utility Rate Study report as approved back then by property owners within Ripon city limits in accordance with Proposition 218.

• Mayor Daniel de Graaf will be open to discussing the Council Committee and Task Force appointments for the upcoming year.

For more information, log on to www.cityofripon.org.