The 3.4-mile Tidewater Bikeway is showing its age.

Just like city streets, the pavement has developed cracks over the years.

And in at least one location just east of the Manteca VFW Hall along a storm retention basin the overall asphalt has deteriorated to the point the pavement surface has been ground down leaving a sandy film.

The City of Manteca’s current fiscal year budget’s $61 million plus in capital projects included $741,000 to resurface segments of the Tidewater Bikeway between Lathrop Road and Industrial Park Drive.

The asphalt is now more that 25 years old. The city has yet to do any large scale pavement maintenance.

Unlike most of the newer segments of the separated bikeway system in place so far elsewhere, the maintenance cost of the Tidewater Bikeway is not borne by homeowners or businesses within a community facilities district that also includes landscaping and street light upkeep.

As a result, the Tidewater pavement project needs to compete for general fund dollars.

There are a few bike paths such as the Spreckels Avenue segment from Yosemite Avenue to Moffat Boulevard that are maintained by private landscape maintenance districts. The other districts are handled by the City of Manteca.

Unless the council changes funding priorities in an upcoming budget process, bikeway work is likely to get started in the upcoming construction season.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com