One piece of 132 bypass in Modesto will open. New detours will affect other roads
The Rosemore Avenue bridge over the new Highway 132 corridor is set to open at 7 a.m. Thursday, July 22.
It will be the first bridge made available to drivers since construction began on the new highway segment in late 2019.
The milestone will coincide with a new set of traffic restrictions lasting about 10 weeks.
The project will shift three miles of 132 from Maze Boulevard to a corridor just south of Kansas Avenue. It could finish by the end of 2021, a few months ahead of schedule because of two straight dry winters.
The portion of Rosemore from Kansas to Maze has been closed since March 2020. Traffic was detoured to Carpenter Road on the east and Dakota Road on the west.
Also starting at 7 a.m. Thursday, all or part of a few roads will be closed or restricted to allow sewer relocations for the 132 project. These controls are expected to last until Oct. 1.
The intersection of Kansas and Mercy Avenue will be closed entirely. Only local and emergency traffic will be allowed on parts of Kansas, Mercy and Morse Road and on all of Lahontan, Deer Park and Yankee drives. A detailed map is at www.stateroute132.com.
Bay Cities Paving & Grading Inc. of Concord is building the project on a $92 million contract. It will provide two lanes without cross traffic from Dakota Avenue to Needham Street. Two other bridges, at Carpenter and Highway 99, are still under construction.
A mix of local, state and federal money is paying for the work.
Future phases could widen the bypass to four lanes and extend it as far west as Gates Road. That could happen as soon as 2026, if the funding comes together.
