The ability to make left turns across the congested 100 block of North Main in downtown Manteca will not be returning.

The City Council has directed staff that  the project to place four travel  lanes from Yosemite Avenue to Alameda Street will not come at the expense of safety.

The center medians now in place will be removed with a narrow raised concrete median that will run down the center line. It is designed to avoid left turns across traffic into and out of parking lots as well as alleys. At the same time in the event an emergency vehicle needs to get through in congested traffic they can be crossed.

Prior to the medians being put in place in 2004, there were often two to three fender benders a month from vehicles trying to turn left out and in of parking lots such as at the Wells Fargo Bank. Throughout peak traffic periods it was a common occurrence for cars trying to turn left out of parking lots to do so when there was a break in the traffic lane nearest them and not in the lane they ultimately were trying to turn into. As a result cars would block the flow of traffic.

The travel lanes along with bike lanes will be put in place after on-street parking and the controversial landscaping bulb-outs are removed. The council has made it clear they want the work done as soon as feasible while understanding there are other road projects that are now taking up staff’s attention. The project may carry a price tag of around $2 million.

When work is finished, Main Street will be four lanes from Lathrop Road to the 120 Bypass.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com