One of the newer signalized intersections in Manteca could be a heard scratcher to some.

It’s on West Yosemite Avenue at Swanson Road.

Swanson Road is currently a two lane street with no sidewalks across from the City of Manteca’s wastewater treatment plant.

Swanson Road serves several businesses and once rural parcels with homes.

The city several years ago rebuilt Swanson Road — that was definitely worse for the wear — after completing work on burying a replacement main line that is the final section of pipeline that collects what roughly two thirds of the city flushes.

Given traffic signals can cost close to $1 million to install, it seems a peculiar intersection to install them at.

It isn’t.

Manteca growth is about to go west in a big way.

There is a growing interest in the private sector to transform the area along Yosemite Avenue west of Fishback Road to the Lathrop city limits along the railroad tracks.

The area of interest goes from the new western end of Center Street south to Wawona Street.

The area already has two approved apartment complexes yet to be built in the delineated area with another two proposed.

The latest two are the results of smaller developers with a lot of patience.

That’s because the area is mostly chopped up with parcels from a half an acre to a five acres requiring assembling multiple parcels to make projects pencil out.

West Manteca is also where you will find the city’s three-pronged economic development effort involving municipal land:

*The 150-acre family entertainment zone bookended by the 500-room Great Wolf Resort indoor water park.

*Municipal land along the future extension of Milo Candini Drive from the northern end of BLD to Airport Way that may eventually extend further north.

*New city facilities along West Yosemite Avenue on wastewater treatment plant that may include a new public works yard.

Currently, the high-profile uses west of Airport Way besides the wastewater treatment plant are Sunnyvalley Meats, ABF Freight, and the Off the Charts cannabis dispensary.

Highway 120 history of

West Yosemite Avenue

Up until the 1980s, Yosemite Avenue was the western entrance to Manteca on Highway 120.

It was jammed with traffic on Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons from Bay Area residents traveling to and from the Sierra, hence why there are four lanes seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

The roadway west of Airport Way, which has been riddled with cracks for more than four decades, is part of a $3.1 million pavement improvement project the city is undertaking this summer between Walnut Avenue to the tracks along the city limits

The other Yosemite

Avenue interchange

Manteca is not the only area along West Yosemite undergoing a major transformation.

Lathrop has gotten the jump, so to speak, on Manteca.

The city has taken what was farmland and rural residential parcels along West Yosemite Avenue and is well on the way to adding more than 6 million square feet of business park space.

It is accessed primarily by Yosemite Avenue — the first interchange at the start of the 120 Bypass from the west.

Yosemite Avenue/Highway 120 used to connect with Old Highway 50/Interstate 5 north of the San Joaquin River.

The last segment now known as Guthmiller Road dead-ends as well as leading to the state maintained bicycle paths that goes along the 120 Bypass and under Interstate 5 to connect with Mathney Road.

Bicyclists can then take Manthey Road it’s southern end point where they can take another bike path along the north side of Interstate 205.

Yosemite Avenue today ends south of the 120 Bypass at the Tri Point Business Park anchored by Wayfair.

The highest profile “business” along Yosemite Avenue is the Lathrop/Manteca ACE commuter rail passenger station. To

Two cities & two

different visions

Lathrop’s intent along Yosemite Avenue is mostly focused on employment centers.

Manteca is mostly high density residential with commercial mix from the south side of Yosemite to the future extension of Wawona west of Airport Way.

To the north, there is some high residential and commercial zoning with a push for smaller business parks.

Swanson Road ultimately ties into the Villa Ticino West subdivision.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyattt@mantecabulletin.com