There’s a lot of work that takes place before the first asphalt is applied for a new freeway lane, a new interchange is opened, or any road/transit project of regional consequence takes place in San Joaquin County.
It starts with San Joaquin Council of Governments, an umbrella organization for San Joaquin County and its eight cities to pursue public works projects of a regional nature with a heavy emphasis on transportation.
“(SJCOG) effectively addresses regional transportation needs,” noted Manteca Mayor Gary Singh.
It is one of a number of area commissions the mayor and other council members serve on that benefit Manteca in addition to council subcommittees.
It is also the one that entails the most time — 30 hours a month in the case of Singh. That is in addition to the hundred or so hours he devotes to other city business.
The investment of time working with other municipal and county leaders on regional transportation issues has an oversized impact on Manteca due to its location and being where the 120 Bypass connects the Interstate 5 and Highway 99 corridor.
Effective road and transit systems are key to a healthy regional economy whether it is moving goods, commuters, or people going about their daily business.
Given how congestion on the 120 Bypass impacts the regional commute and goods movement, Manteca leaders — starting with former Mayor Steve DeBrum — were able to solicit regional support buying the county’s boundaries.
The effort paid off.
The upgrade work now underway plus the widening of the bypass to six lanes wasn’t on the state’s radar until 2040.
The fact SJCOG had the ability to manage the current 120-99 project also enabled it to happen sooner than later.
Singh — who is in line to become SJCOG chair next when the city rotation goes from Stockton to Manteca — is already working to advance the city’s interests that have a strong regional impact.
Besides working on securing funding for the next phase of the 120 Bypass /99 interchange, Singh has worked to line up support to extend Roth Road from Airport Way to Highway 99 where the goal is to have a future interchange.
In doing so, it will address regional trucking issues regarding the Union Pacific intermodal facility sandwiched between Manteca and Lathrop. It also would make the area just north of Manteca more viable to secure future employment centers without trucking impacting residential areas.
The handiwork of SJCOG is everywhere in Manteca-Lathrop-Ripon.
*The Altamont Corridor Express
*Arterial corridor improvements in Manteca such as Louise Avenue, Lathrop Road, and Yosemite Avenue/South Main through the central district.
*The widening of the 120 Bypass to four lanes and the current upgrade work on Highway 99 interchanges at the 120 Bypass and Austin Road and nearby surface streets.
*The McKinley Avenue interchange that opened a year ago and the expansion of the Union Road interchange before that.
*Securing land for — and the initial development — of the 3.4-mile Tidewater Bikeway.
*The Manteca Transit Center.
*The Jack Tone Road interchange in Ripon.
*The bridges spanning the two railroad lines in Lathrop in Lathrop Road.
The aforementioned, as well as supplemental funding to repair streets in the eight cities, is just the tip of the iceberg.
SGCOG’s work is powered by a half-cent countywide sales tax.
It was first adopted by voters in 1990.
The tax was extended through 2041 during the 2006 election when 78 percent of San Joaquin voters approved a measure to do so.
While Measure K funds 100 percent is some transit/road projects, its real power is in leveraging state and federal road and transit funds that require matching local funds.
It is how San Joaquin County went to the front of the line in the early 2010s to secure state bond money to widen and modernize sections of the Highway 99 corridor from Bakersfield to Redding.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
