South Stanislaus County expressway plan resurfacing

The vision of a hassle-free drive from Highway 99 in Turlock to Interstate 5 will loom large at a second round of public workshops for the future South County Corridor.

Similar town hall meetings earlier this year generated plenty of interest, mostly from folks in Turlock, Patterson and Newman and points in between. People with vivid imaginations drew suggestions on an interactive online map now showing about 100 alignment variations for engineers to consider.

The next phase asks people to share thoughts on six performance measures, “to help us figure out what’s best for the region,” outreach consultant Kendall Flint said. Criteria range from reducing traffic and time spent in traffic to minimizing loss of farmland and wetlands important to wildlife.

And then there’s pricing: The 18-mile, four-lane expressway is expected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and no source has been identified. That could take a couple of years, and construction could be from seven to 12 years away, if not more.

“Tell us if these are the right criteria,” Flint said, encouraging attendance at three upcoming workshops. People also can visit an online virtual workshop. Input will help engineers compare one route against another, she said.

Interest has focused on the road’s west connection to I-5. Patterson is expected to make a case for an interchange at Zacharias Road north of town near the city’s industrial parks, while Stanislaus County leaders would prefer that the South County Corridor serve the dream of a huge industrial complex near Crows Landing and the Fink Road interchange. Newman likes that idea, too.

On the east end, Turlock leaders have envisioned the expressway replacing West Main Street with access to the city’s Westside industrial zone, but engineers want to explore using Fulkerth Road.

“There will be very spirited conversations, as it should be,” Flint predicted, looking ahead to a third round of workshops in late fall. The debate will be folded into a document called a feasibility study, which should be done in January. Potential paths to be studied could be narrowed to two or three. A more focused project study report would come next, followed by funding decisions and environmental studies.

By comparison, environmental studies on the future North County Corridor – an expressway skirting Modesto, Riverbank and Oakdale – should be unveiled in July. A third east-west expressway in the center of the county, in the form of a Highway 132 bypass west of downtown Modesto, awaits a state plan for dealing with barium-laced soil.

Meanwhile, the Stanislaus Council of Governments has been making the rounds of civic clubs and organizations, talking up South County Corridor merits. “We are doing more to engage the community,” said StanCOG Executive Director Carlos Yamzon.

The workshops run from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. according to this schedule:

▪ Tuesday, Hammon Senior Center, 1033 La Palmas Ave., Patterson

▪ Wednesday, Newman council chamber, 938 Fresno St.

▪ Thursday, Turlock council chamber, 156 S. Broadway Ave.

More information is available at www.valleyvisionstanislaus.com, where the virtual workshop will be available May 1.

This story was originally published April 24, 2015 at 5:26 PM with the headline "South Stanislaus County expressway plan resurfacing."