Manteca Mayor Gary Singh was pulled over on the side of Moffat Boulevard to check on how the new traffic signals with the street’s intersection with Woodward Avenue were working.

The signals were working fine.

But when a train passed blocking the Woodward crossing, he noticed southbound Moffat traffic couldn’t move forward on a green light as vehicles in front of them were waiting for the train to clear so they could turn right onto Woodward.

He brought a potential fix to city staff that no one had considered before — adding a right turn lane onto Moffat to keep traffic flowing.

Singh said staff is confident it can be done without having to intrude on Union Pacific right-of-way which would extend the time the fix could be tackled.

An exact timeline of the work that will involve engineering as well as construction has not been established.

It is the latest example of how Singh has been working with staff to address existing traffic snafus in southwest Manteca whether it was adding a second right turn lane from Van Ryn Avenue to Industrial Park Drive or enhancing pedestrian safety by placing an island median for those using the crosswalk on Spreckels Avenue at Norman Drive by Target.

Now that Woodward to Moffat has reopened, the city is proceeding with paving the section of Main Street between Atherton and the 120 Bypass.

It will take place Tuesday, March 3, between 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.

That work will require closing northbound Main between the freeway and Atherton Drive but also the eastbound 120 onramp.

Southbound Main will be open.

Main Steet south of Atherton will also be paved to a wider width in the coming weeks. Power lines have already been placed underground leaving the power poles to be removed next.

The widening of South Main to six lanes from the Bypass to Woodward Avenue will be completed within the next two months.

Also, work will be moving forward on installing traffic signals at Woodward and Atherton.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com