Don’t expect to see any physical work to widen Airport Way between Wawona Street and Waterfall Way until at least 2030.

That is the earliest date PG&E told the City of Manteca that the for-profit utility could schedule undergrounding work of power lines that is needed before the corridor can be widened to four lanes.

The Manteca City Council was told by staff that PG&E is dictating 2030 as the earliest timeline for construction to start.

The council on Tuesday authorized hiring Mark Thomas & Company to develop plans, specifications, and an estimated for $1,961,563.

The work will determine the right-of-way acquisition needed to eventually accommodate two travel lanes in each direction with a continuous left turn lane in the center.

That means the city should be in a position to start obtaining needed property as early as 2027.

There are easily four dozen parcels involved.

PG&E’s role in the project is burying power lines that run along both sides of the corridor.

The cost of that work will be covered — or least mostly — with $6.7 million in set aside funds PG&E has collected from ratepayers under Rule 20 to underground power lines.

By moving forward with an active project now, the city assures the $6.7 million earmarked for Manteca isn’t redirected to another jurisdiction.

The Rule 20 program predates the 15 percent rate increase in early 2025 to pay for undergrounding power lines in high risk wildfire areas to reduce PG&E’s liability exposure.

The city currently has $2.5 million set aside for the project.

After the engineering firm’s work is covered, it’ll leave roughly $600,000.

That means the city in the coming years will have to identify and secure funding for the pavement widening.

Whether it is done in phases — replacement travel lanes and the continuous left turn lane initially — depends on the cost as well as funding secured.

Meanwhile, the city has already started preliminary design work on widening the Airport Way overcrossing of the 120 Bypass.

The $250,000 work will design a diverging interchange similar to what is in place at Union Road.

After that is done, environmental studies and construction plans would be the next steps before actual construction could take place.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com