River Islands Parkway – which becomes Louise Avenue as motorists traveling eastbound pass under I-5 – is set to get a major overhaul.

Starting today, the busy thoroughfare which provides access into River Islands from the Bradshaw’s Crossing Bridge over the San Joaquin River will be under construction as crews begin the process of widening the arterial route.

The work will begin just north of the In-N-Out Burger location and will include modifying the existing traffic signal and widening the roadway – with staging, demolition, and pothole work scheduled to be carried out this week.

From June 6 through June 24 work will be carried out on the traffic light at River Islands and Golden Valley Parkways, and from June 27 through July 15 crews will be on-site to install curbs, cutters, and sidewalks along the realigned route.

Paving the roadway will take place from July 18 through July 22.

According to the City of Lathrop the project has been designed to ensure that crews can do as much work as possible outside of the roadway and paving the sections only at night – creating the least amount of impact as possible on motorists.

It has been five years since the Bradshaw’s Crossing Bridge opened to traffic and provided another access point to the master planned community on the other side of the river. The River Islands development will eventually have 15,000 homes as well as commercial businesses to cater to the homeowners that live there.

The bridge will also provide the closest route for residents living on the east side of the San Joaquin River to access the new Lathrop Police Department – which has been finished for more than a year but will finally open next month when the Lathrop Police Department takes over law enforcement operations in the city.

The River Islands Parkway widening is the second major road-based project in the area after the Lathrop City Council approved a contract change order for the vendor that will execute the Manthey Road Rehabilitation Project – the section of road that served as the access point to River Islands before the Bradshaw’s Crossing Bridge was completed.

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.