When the ground breaks later this year or in early 2022 on the upgrade for the 120 Bypass/Highway 99 interchange, it will be a major game changer for Manteca.
The $54.4 million first phase of a three-phase project that’s designed to significantly improve traffic movements and enhance safety will initially include creating two lanes going from eastbound 120 Bypass to southbound Highway 99. That will require the replacement of the Austin Road interchange.
“It’s going to be a game changer for Manteca,” noted Manteca Councilman Gary Singh.
That’s because it can pump life into an approved major business park that would have both solid freeway and rail access. It also would create the opportunity for the city to further cash in on travel dollars.
Developers are already exploring pursuing parcels that are suited for highway commercial business such as can be found along the Jack Tone Road interchange on Highway 99 in Ripon. One option being explored is a possible truck stop, travel plaza and hotel.
Singh refers to what could emerge as an “industrial village” where distribution and similar jobs with support activities such as truck plazas are packaged in close proximity. That is in addition to housing that may be more attuned to valley workforce pay as well as supporting commercial.
Singh noted it would reduce truck traffic conflicts with residential traffic. At the same time direct highway access would render moot any need for the Raymus Parkway ever to be developed as a truck route.
The Austin Road Business Park was approved eight years ago but was stymied in part due to the inability to solve the perplexing issue of the antiquated Austin Road interchange.
That is being resolved by the state’s design to make traffic movements through the 120 Bypass/99 interchange more robust. To make all three phases work — including eventually having two lanes from northbound Highway 99 connect as a ramp with the westbound 120 Bypass — the current Austin Road overcrossing needs to be torn down and replaced in order to get more lanes to pass beneath it on Highway 99.
The decision made three years ago by the state positively impacts local traffic circulation plans although the city’s current major street plan doesn’t take into account the change.
The replacement four-lane bridge — of which two lanes will be paid for by growth fees assessed on Manteca growth — solves a number of issues.
*It puts in place a highly functional interchange on Highway 99 with second phase ramps designed to handle high volumes of trucks and vehicles.
*It eliminates the grade crossing on Austin Road of the Union Pacific Railroad tracks as the replacement bridge while going over the tracks as well.
*The same bridge eliminates the intersection with Moffat Boulevard.
Singh noted the city can concentrate on creating jobs without having to worry as much with residential conflicts in the area due to the more robust Austin Road interchange.
At the same time in terms of economic opportunities:
*It allows for a major business park with both quick access to freeway and rail.
*It creates an opportunity to cash in on truck plaza taxes that are a big boost to the municipal general fund coffers of Ripon and Lathrop.
Singh noted the big issue with opening southeast Manteca to development and the envisioned business park has been the interchange as well as extending sewer and water.
The biggest problem for the city that is struggling to fund interchange work elsewhere has always been the interchange. Given that is being addressed it would then make it viable for developers working in conjunction with the city to extend sewer and water trunk lines in the area to support development.
The Manteca Planning Commission in 2013 creating 32 lots ranging from 3.5 to 20 acres plus in the initial 138.5-acce parcel that was targeted for initial development in the overall 1,049-acre Austin Road Business Park.
The lot sizes can accommodate just about any need from a 50,000-square-foot building up to 2 million square feet.
The largest distribution center in Manteca is the 746,790-square-foot Amazon fulfillment center on North Airport Way between Lathrop Road and Roth Road.
A build out, the business park’s employment center is estimated to have the ability to create 3,000 to 6,000 jobs.
The $54.4 million first phase breaking ground at the end of this year or early 2022 of the overall $131.6 million 120 Bypass/Highway 99 endeavor will include:
*widening the connector from the eastbound Bypass to southbound Highway 99 to two lanes.
*replacing the existing Austin Road overcrossing with a new bridge that would also go over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks.
*swinging Woodward Avenue south to connect with Austin Road.
*relocating the current at-grade Woodward Avenue crossing of the railroad tracks to reach Moffat Boulevard so vehicles cross the tracks at 90 degrees. This would be a new, short road that only goes from the new alignment of Woodward Avenue to Moffat Boulevard.
*temporarily shut down the southbound off ramp and northbound on ramp at Austin Road and the Highway 99 interchange.
*building a new northbound off ramp to Highway 99 at Austin Road.
The configuration would allow traffic to use Moffat Boulevard — which would flow under Austin Road — to access southbound Highway 99 as it currently does.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulltin.com
