Kiernan should remain as the north county expressway

By Denny Jackman

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The North County Corridor is one of three areas designated by the Stanislaus Council of Governments (StanCOG) for improving roadway connectivity between the east and west sides of the county.

The others are the south county corridor, proposed between the Patterson/Interstate 5 area and Turlock/Highway 99 area, and the central corridor, which we know as Highway 132.

Since the early 1990s, Kiernan Avenue had been designated the main east/ west connector in the north and planned as an expressway. In 2008, StanCOG chose to jump on the Salida Community Plan bandwagon. With population projections based on studies by developers of the Salida plan, StanCOG advanced the need for multiple lanes and an all-new north corridor.

Though Kiernan Avenue was planned to be a Class B Expressway for the past two decades, development after development was allowed, putting driveways -- called curb cuts -- directly on to Kiernan. Thus, in 2008, Kiernan Avenue was downgraded as the preferred east/west connector by StanCOG with one of the major factors being too many curb cuts!

It is important to note that when the Salida Now Initiative was being promoted to the public, the new north expressway was to be paid for by developer fees by the build-out of the plan. The initiative, as adopted by the Board of Supervisors in August 2007, requires that the development of the Salida Community Plan Amendment Area pay its own way and ensure that existing county residents are not financially burdened.

The population projections created by the Salida developer for the Riverbank and Oakdale areas generate "a need" for more and more lanes across the north county. Despite Kiernan Avenue expanding from two to six lanes, and Pelandale Avenue also expanding from two to six lanes, StanCOG argues there is a "need" for more lanes.

Recently a Superior Court judge ruled that the city of Livingston used flawed population projections to justify a huge increase to its 2025 General Plan Update. The ruling said: The City's reliance on an unsupported population growth figure to support a statement of overriding considerations as to the numerous unmitigated impacts is unreasonable and appears to be a random leap from evidence to conclusions.

Local leaders relying on huge population projections to rationalize grand transportation routes may want to rethink their choices.

The Farmland Working Group has worked diligently for over 10 years to promote smart land use choices. Thus, the area north of Kiernan Avenue, with the highest soil qualities ranking by the state, must be considered for its agricultural productivity and ground water recharge capabilities.

Considerations must be made to minimize negative impacts of urban transportation plans. Plans to serve and connect urban areas must do so with minimal negative impact to existing communities, including agricultural communities.

Considerations for east-west roadways must include incremental and long-term costs to our communities. If community leaders truly desire to provide the best transportation dollar for our buck, they will choose alternatives, such as making Kiernan Avenue work.

Jackman, a former Modesto City Council member, is chairman of the Farmland Working Group.