Dangerous stretch of Modesto road is being fixed. Here’s when it should be done
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- Modesto's $5.4M Scenic Drive overhaul remains on schedule and on budget.
- Construction aims to boost safety with lane repaving, lighting and signage.
- All lanes may reopen by the end of fall, reducing delays on Scenic near Bodem Street.
Modesto’s project to alter what is arguably the busiest and most dangerous stretch of Scenic Drive is on budget and on schedule, City Engineer Toby Wells said.
In February, the City Council approved a contract worth $13.5 million for infrastructure projects across the city. The largest chunk of the funds, $5.4 million, was allocated to bring Scenic Drive up to current standards. Construction began a few months later.
Since then, drivers travelling the stretch of Scenic between Coffee Road and Bodem Street have experienced increased traffic delays due the project. For weeks, the road has been down two lanes, with a four-way stop at the intersection at Bodem.
The backup should come to an end soon. Wells said that while there is no set date, all lanes are expected to be open to traffic by the end of autumn.
“We are making good progress. We look forward to completing the project, and hopefully the weather holds so we can get this done as soon as possible,” he said.
A perilous stretch of a heavily used road
Collisions on the abrupt, dog-leg bends in Scenic that run alongside the cemeteries east of Bodem have injured and killed several people over the years. In 2017, The Bee reported that its archives were “filled with reports about car crashes on Scenic.”
In 2016, Cherise Chipponeri and her two children were seriously injured on Scenic when her car lost traction and slid into oncoming traffic on a rainy day. Last year, the city settled a lawsuit tied to that collision, which ultimately cost taxpayers nearly $17 million. Lawyers representing the mother argued that the stretch of road was unsafe and city officials knew it.
As part of the settlement, the city did not admit the street’s infrastructure was at fault. But in 2019, the city treated it with a high-friction surface designed to increase vehicle traction in wet weather. Hydroplaning had been a problem even before Chipponeri’s collision, according to previous reporting by The Bee.
Before Chipponeri’s collision, Modesto reduced the speed limit, installed flashing safety beacons and signs warning drivers the road was slippery when wet. In 2014, Stanislaus County constructed a safety barrier, designed to keep cars from hitting the Behavioral Health and Recovery Services building near the former county hospital.
Reworked curve in road will have a slope
This latest Scenic project will repave the street, improve signage, paint new stripes, improve the streetlights and build up-to-date storm drainage from Bodem to just east of Oakdale Road.
“This is an old roadway built many, many years ago, probably close to 70 years ago. The work that we are doing is bringing it up to current standards,” Wells said.
Changes to the curve near the cemeteries are planned. Because of existing structures, the street can’t be dramatically reconfigured, but there are ways to “soften the curve,” Wells said.
He said the “pinch point” will be rounded out and a concrete median will be installed. The road itself will be sloped to assist drivers take the curve more smoothly. Wells described the slope as similar to ones you’d see on curved highway on-ramps.
The experience to the driver, however, won’t be a “marked change,” Wells said. “We’re smoothing out the abruptness. … It will help significantly, but you’re not going to notice this huge difference on how it drives.”
Wells said core construction is underway, with some work being done underneath the roadway to address concerns with existing sewer and water lines. Barring any delays caused by existing infrastructure conflicts or weather, Wells said the project is anticipated to start wrapping up within a couple of months.
All voting members of City Council were in favor of the project. Mayor Sue Zwahlen and Councilmember Rosa Escutia-Braaton recused themselves from the vote because they both own properties within 500 feet of the project.
