Manteca is growing north into a truck traffic mess.

It is why city leaders have successfully pushed for a regional solution that will create an obvious truck route by extending Roth Road east of Airport Way and then make a lengthy southward “S” curve style alignment to reach a future interchange on Highway 99 midway between French Camp Road and Lathrop Road.

Not only would it be north of future housing development, but it will also discourage truckers from breaking the law and go down existing segments of Airport Way and Union Road through established neighborhoods.

“Truck drivers don’t like to make a lot of turns,” said Mike Morowit who represents north Manteca on the City Council.

it is why his initial goal is to get Roth Road to Frontage Road where trucks can turn right and travel to the Lathrop Road interchange.

The interchange, which will require at least $40 million to build and requires Caltrans’ blessing, is the next step.

Planners originally wanted to take advantage of an existing truck route on Airport Way that goes as far south as 5.11 Tactical and Amazon by extending Lovelace Road to the freeway and a future interchange.

Elected leaders squashed that idea, believing the temptation for truckers to go down Union Road instead, would be too great even if it was illegal to do so.

The Roth Road extension alignment is now in the infancy stages of being more than just a line on a map.

And given it would be built primarily in segments by the private sector as property is developed, it is likely years away — perhaps a decade or more ­— of reaching Frontage Road.

Until then, the question is how to keep trucks that are going to and from a terminal from using Lathrop Road through Manteca.

That is even a more daunting task based on the Union Pacific intermodal yard being expanded so it can triple its daily in and out truck movements from the current daily average of 767 truck movements — or 31 in an average hour — will be able to top out at 2,000 a day, or 83 on a prorated hourly basis.

Although most trucks head to the Bay Area or Sacramento using Roth Road to reach Interstate 5, the quickest way for intermodal truckers to head to points down the valley toward Fresno is to head east to reach Highway 99.

Trucks have been a growing issue on Lathrop Road ever since 1993.

That is when Union Pacific Railroad replaced its Stockton intermodal truck-to-rail facility with one sandwiched between the city limits of Lathrop and Manteca in county jurisdictions accessed via Roth Road.

The cities of Manteca and Lathrop, along with San Joaquin County, are working on an all-encompassing solution to minimize the impact of truck movements going to and from the intermodal facility as well as business parks already in the general area and those yet to be built.

That solution — extending Roth Road to Frontage and then building an interchange — is realistically years away.

For now, enforcement is difficult at best.

It is because semi-trucks can legally go off truck routes to make deliveries and pick-ups at non-terminal operations.

In order to issue a ticket, an officer must follow trucks once they leave a freeway to see if they make a legal delivery.

Manteca Police indicated that would tie up manpower that is better spent zeroing in on violations that contribute to accidents.

It is why Morowit, and his council colleagues, want a direct and clear truck route that truckers will use.

The city is  also working on a truck route that could take trucks to and from the area via Lathrop Road and McKinley Avenue to the 120 Bypass.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com