With the commercial and light industrial growth expected in the area, the Yosemite Avenue/GuthmillerRoad exit off the 120 Bypass is going to be seeing a sharp increase in traffic.
So the City of Lathrop is planning for it.
Last week the Lathrop City Council voted to approve a $50,000 transfer from a developer fund to cover the initial cost of executing a partnership with Caltrans to oversee the project study report and project development support phases of the construction.
Development that will directly lead to the traffic impacts in the area will be on the hook for the majority of the funding necessary to improve the intersection – either through impact fees or direct payment.
Large scale warehouse and distribution facilities have become one of the biggest draws to Lathrop – which sits at the confluence of I-5 and the Highway 120 bypass and provides access to nearby Highway 99 and the I-205 split which takes traffic across the Altamont and into the Bay Area.
In the last year the city has executed an agreement with Kraft Heinz to take over a large portion of the old Pilkington float glass manufacturing facility on Lathrop Road – originially Libby-Owns-Ford when it opened for business – and UPS opened a massive distribution center on Harlan Road during the last year as well.
A project similar to the Crossroads Business Center – which is home to the In-N-Out, Home Depot and JC Penney distribution centers as well as the Tesla manufacturing plant – is planned for the area opposite of Highway 120, but no major tenants have been announced. The initial approval has already been granted by the council.
Known as the South Lathrop Specific Plan Project, the project required an environmental impact report and one of the mitigating factors required a joint-operation with Caltrans to prepare the documents necessary for the interchange improvement.
If approved, that will be the third interchange in Lathrop set to receive an overhaul behind the Lathrop Road and Louise Avenue interchanges at I-5.

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