New connections open between Highways 132 and 99 in Modesto. This one still awaits
Modesto’s new Highway 132 opened in mid-November, but its connections to other routes have taken longer.
The project rerouted three miles of 132, between Dakota Avenue and Highway 99, to a corridor just south of Kansas Avenue. Maze Boulevard no longer doubles as a state highway in this zone.
Crews this month finished ramps that connect the new 132 with northbound 99. The final connection, on southbound 99, could be done soon.
The project launched in late 2019 under a $92 million contract with Bay Cities Paving & Grading of Concord. A mix of local, state and federal money covered the cost.
The new 132 has one lane each way without cross traffic from Dakota to 99. Road planners are assembling funding for future phases bringing four lanes from 99 to Gates Road.
The recent milestones on the first phase include opening ramps between the new 132 and northbound 99. One set is at Sixth and L streets in downtown Modesto. The other is just south of Kansas.
The remaining piece involves a fourth lane on southbound 99 for traffic from eastbound 132. It will take drivers to the intersection of Fifth Street and Maze.
That work could be done by Friday, Dec. 30, according to the weekly traffic alert from the California Department of Transportation.
This story was originally published December 23, 2022 at 10:38 AM.
