Modesto nears milestone on Pelandale interchange

Motorists soon can expect more traffic headaches at Modesto’s Pelandale Avenue-Highway 99 interchange, where construction workers are building a new $54.76 million interchange to replace the congested, obsolete one.

The Pelandale traffic lanes at Sisk Road in both directions will be greatly reduced starting June 22. Motorists also can expect traffic delays at Salida Boulevard near the intersection’s west side as workers reconfigure one of the highway ramps. And the northbound offramp will be closed for three days. These restrictions and closures are part of finishing the interchange’s new bridge spanning the highway.

Public Works Director Bill Sandhu said the bridge should open to traffic by mid- to late July. The bridge has more than twice the capacity of the old, three-lane bridge, but Sandhu said initially, just four of the new bridge’s eight lanes will be open to traffic.

The public can learn more about the project Thursday when Modesto holds an open house from 5 to 8 p.m. at Abundant Life Christian Center, 3120 Snyder Ave.

Sandhu said the project remains on schedule and is about 45 percent complete. The interchange should open to traffic by late summer or fall 2016, though all of the work is not expected to wrap up until early 2017. Construction started in May 2014 on a project that will more than double the capacity of the Pelandale interchange, which was built in 1970, when Modesto’s population was less than a third of what it is today.

Nearby businesses have complained about lost sales during construction, though Sandhu said the city has taken steps to mitigate that through such measures as additional signs letting drivers know businesses are open.

Revenue is down 20 percent at the Baymont Inn & Suites on Salida Boulevard just south of the Pelandale construction, according to Rupesh Patel, president and chief operating officer of Zenique Hotels, which owns and manages the Baymont. He said the construction work has made it hard for drivers to see the hotel and guests complain about the blowing dust and dirt from the nearby construction site.

He said these difficulties have come as Zenique upgraded the hotel from a Super 8 to a Baymont to attract business travelers.

“There was definitely a need to do something about this interchange,” he said. “Once it’s done, it will look great for the city. But this a big time frame. We want to make sure we don’t continue to lose business. We lost a tremendous amount in this past year.”

This story was originally published June 5, 2015 at 3:25 PM with the headline "Modesto nears milestone on Pelandale interchange."