Manteca Unified is continuing its efforts to enhance safety by improving traffic flow as well as separating bus loading and student drop-off zones at various  school campuses.

Work now underway or scheduled to start soon  are:

*A new bus drop off zone is being constructed along Chardonnay away from the main parking lot on Pestana Ave. at Brock Elliott School. This past summer the parking lot was altered to improve vehicle and pedestrian access. A dedicated drop-off lane was added while the fire lane was clearly delineated.

*Work starts in December at Nile Garden School on a driveway connecting the east parking lot along Nile Avenue to Union Road.

Work scheduled later in current modernization improvements as well as future phases include:

*Expanding the Golden West School parking lot along Main Street. It includes more staff parking and additional drop-off lanes.  Work could start sometime between March and June of next year.
*The Manteca High parking lot by the school office near Yosemite Avenue will be expanded to the south once work is nearly completed on the new two-story classroom. The driveway from Garfield Avenue will be moved further south to reduce congestion near Yosemite Avenue.

*A future phase of work at East Union High will add an access lane from Northgate Drive to the school parking lot to enhance on-site traffic circulation. Recently, the student parking lot was completely reconstructed with a  dedicated drop-off lane and a new roundabout on district property to improve traffic circulation.

Work also was recently completed at Brock Eliott School to reconfigure the parking lot to enhance access and merge two driveways for better traffic control. A dedicated drop-off lane was added and a fire lane clearly marked. A dedicated bus was constructed io Daniels Street.

The work is the result of voter approval of the $260 million Measure A bond approved in November 2020 and the $159 million Measure G bond in 2014.

Modernization, security, and safety are the focus of both bonds.

Previously completed bond related work regarding parking lots and traffic flow included:

*Wrought iron pedestrian fencing to separate the drop-off zone and parking lot at Golden West School.

*The reconstructed and expanded parking lot accessed via Moffat Boulevard that also included a drop-off zone near the new gym. A bus drop-off lane on Mikesell Street was also constructed.

*A new drop off zone and parking lot at Lincoln School along Powers Avenue.

In addition, there are two city initiated endeavors by various school campuses.

*The high visibility HAWK pedestrian signal (like the one on North Main at Edison Street but not yet activated) is in the process of being placed at Moffat and Garfield by Manteca High as part of more than two dozen Safe Routes to School projects that are primarily near three elementary schools including overhead warning signals for a crosswalk on Main Street near Golden West School.

*An effort to get traffic signals installed on Moffat at Sherman Avenue by Manteca High as part of the ACE parking lot project.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com