One of the most vexing traffic snafus in Manteca — the area in and around the Airport Way and Louise Avenue intersection — could be addressed in planning for two proposed shopping centers.
The issues include:
*Lengthy backup of eastbound traffic on Louise Avenue.
*Students from a neighborhood north of Louise crossing the heavily traveled four-lane arterial to and from Stella Brockman School.
*Backed up traffic on southbound Airport Way that blocks the in and out entrance that school buses parked at the Manteca Unified district complex use.
*Operational issues created with the intersection’s close proximity to three railroad crossings.
Improvements being targeted are:
*Widening the Louise Avenue approaches to Airport Way so there are two thru lanes and dedicated left and right lanes eastbound with the same width that would allow lane stripping to accomplish the same thing in the future westbound.
*Widening Airport Way to four lanes from the intersection to the railroad tracks.
*Building a median on Airport Way to railroad tracks with left turn pockets in both directions at Misone Street if MUSD opts to realign the bus entrance to their complex.
*Widening Louise Avenue two lanes for eastbound traffic from just east of the tracks to Airport Way with medians and turn pockets.
*Replacing the existing westbound lane on eastbound Louise along the school district property. There would not be a second lane or curbs, gutters, sidewalks installed for the time being.
*Placing a high profile crossing signal for pedestrians on Louise at Zurich Drive.
*Installing traffic signal north of the intersection on Airport to access shopping centers planned for both sides of the arterial.
*Placing traffic signals on Louise west of Airport to allow access to Villa Ticino Village proposed to be anchored with a 40,000-square-foot grocery store. The district would have the option of building a new driveway to align with the traffic signals to allow left turn lanes that would be prevented by a median from their two existing driveways along Louise.
Mayor Gary Singh indicated the city is trying to devise a holistic solution to address future and existing issues “in one shot.”
At the same time, Manteca can’t afford to derail commercial investments essential to bring shopping, dining, and other opportunities to the western area of the city by trying to leverage too much off-site improvements from projects.
It is why the city is approaching the area much like they did South Main Street — but with a different funding strategy.
The entire stretch of widening South Main to six lanes from the 120 Bypass to Woodward Avenue will be done in one fell swoop. Ground will break in that endeavor in the coming months.
The South Main work uses an area of benefit. It involves developers fronting money for some of the work going in front of property that doesn’t have a current project. They would be reimbursed with the land does develop.
Growth fees collected for major arterial work will also be used.
Given there is no other development in the general area of the Louise-Airport that can occur except for a small neighborhood commercial retail project on the northeast corner, the area of benefit approach per se likely wouldn’t work.
Trying to tap Safe Routes to School funding for the Zurich pedestrian signal is one option.
So is using a Measure Q loan that would be paid back to cover work that would be a stretch at best for one of the current developers to pay and still have their projects pencil out.
The goal for the city, based on the City Council’s direction, is to address current and future traffic flows issues in the area that could be delayed for decades or longer.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
