Spreckels Avenue has arguably the most problematic stretch of safety concerns when it comes to a four-lane arterial in Manteca.
It has two off-setting T-intersections — Phoenix Drive and Norman Drive —within 150 feet of each other where Spreckels Avenue has a gentle curve.
That creates sightline problems, especially for vehicles turning either direction onto Spreckels from Phoenix.
Just to the north of Norman Drive is another T-intersection — the heavily traveled entrance to the Target parking lot.
Between Norman Drive and Target, there is a crosswalk.
Add to the fact people routinely push or exceed the 40 mph speed limit and there are no traffic signals for roughly a half mile on Spreckels between Moffat Boulevard and Yosemite Avenue and you’ve got an accident waiting to happen.
“It makes no sense the city (back in 1999) didn’t make one (cross) street,” said Manteca Mayor Gary Singh of the off-setting Norman Drive and Phoenix Drive intersections.
Manteca is now taking steps to make the situation safer.
*All-way stop signs are being placed at Spreckels and Phoenix.
*Those will be replaced with traffic signals when Prologis starts construction on a 289,499 square-foot distribution center on the 14.83 parcel south of the intersection between American Modular and J&M Equipment.
*Sign mounted pedestrian flashers — activated when someone wants to enter the crosswalk — will be placed at the Norman intersection. Those flashers are being repurposed from Moffat at Garfield where a high intensity pedestrian signal known as a HAWK went operational in August by Manteca High.
*Those repurposed flashers will be replaced with the city’s third HAWK pedestrian signal that the city had just received a grant for that will be matched by Measure Q sales tax funds.
The city earlier this year installed a pedestrian island midway across Spreckels at Norman to help improve the safety of those crossing the street.
City steps up safety,
traffic flow fixes
The Norman-Phoenix-Spreckels enhancement are the outgrowth of an effort initiated four years ago that was designed to make the city more proactive and nimble in response to various traffic flow and safety issues.
City Manager Toni Lungren created an in-house inter-department traffic safety team that meets as frequently as weekly depending on the need to weigh traffic issues raised by citizens via the government outreach apps or other means as well as concerns brought forth by city workers in the field and council members.
That has led to dozens upon dozens of “little fixes” ranging from reconfiguring lanes such as at Van Ryn at Industrial Park Drive, the deployment of speed lumps, and installing stop signs.
It had streamlined the speed lump request and review process cutting it down from a year and longer five years ago to get them in place to what is now often a matter of months.
Helping accelerate the process has been the additional funding generated by the 20-year three-quarter cent Measure Q sales tax passed by voters in November 2024.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
