Modesto rethinking plans for Crows Landing Road improvements

Local officials are rethinking a previous plan to make Crows Landing Road in south Modesto a six-lane traffic artery.

City of Modesto staff members have studied the corridor for two years and recommend a different plan to improve safety for pedestrians, slow traffic and spruce up the thoroughfare between South Seventh Street and Whitmore Avenue.

All of that would be done within the current 100-foot right of way south of Highway 99. The emerging plan would widen the roadway north of the freeway.

The new ideas are bound to stir debate over an effective design for the Crows Landing corridor as more traffic is generated in south Modesto. But officials also want to inject reality into Modesto’s long-range plan for growth, which for years has designated two more lanes for the four-lane boulevard.

A six-lane road would require expensive property purchases and be costly to maintain, officials said.

“Most of Crows Landing Road is built, and the likelihood of it expanding is limited,” said Patrick Kelly, planning manager for Modesto. “To add lanes, it takes property.”

During three community workshops last year at Shackelford Elementary School, residents said they wanted a safer corridor, including more visible crosswalks and improved access for pedestrians, Kelly said.

Modesto received an environmental justice planning grant through the California Department of Transportation to fund the $247,500 study, conducted by city planning and transportation staff. Crows Landing Road from South Seventh to Whitmore is in Modesto’s designated growth area, though portions are in the county and city jurisdictions.

Safety issues were examined in the study. From 2004 to mid-2013, 198 collisions on Crows Landing were reported to police, including 54 injury accidents. Four of the five vehicle collisions that involved bicycles resulted in injuries, and four pedestrians have been killed.

The most traffic accidents occurred at intersections between Hatch Road and Whitmore Avenue. Other problems identified were:

▪ Difficult pedestrian crossings.

▪ High traffic volumes and excessive speed.

▪ Hard-to-see street signs.

▪ A lack of bicycle lanes.

▪ Some traffic signals too close together.

▪ A need for sidewalks, landscaping and pedestrian-friendly business areas.

Staff members also cited the numerous driveways in front of businesses, which create close encounters between motorists and opportunities for collisions.

Officials said there are ways to make the corridor more safe for pedestrians; for example, by putting a lighted crosswalk or pedestrian bridge at School Avenue near Shackelford School.

The addition of bike lanes would narrow the way for motor vehicles, serving to dampen traffic speeds. Other ideas include removing the signal at Butte Avenue and adding a signal at Algen or Imperial Avenue, where more crashes have occurred. The study also suggests a lower speed limit between Hatch Road and Whitmore.

Planners want to enhance the appearance of the corridor with 10-foot-wide sidewalks, street trees and raised medians.

Crows Landing carries traffic from industrial centers north of Highway 99 and residential and business areas south of the freeway. Thursday, the study was presented to Stanislaus County planning commissioners, who urged the city to be careful with the enhancements.

Commissioner Ken Buehner said it would be hard for workers to maintain trees planted in the medians. Crows Landing will be congested with more cars and trucks when the Seventh Street bridge is replaced and housing is built in west Ceres, commissioners said. Large trucks will require adequate turn lanes and the medians could block access to businesses, they cautioned.

City staff said additional engineering and traffic studies will make sure the improvements are done properly.

Kelly said the City Council is scheduled to consider the study Feb. 10. If approved, the study could serve as a guide for corridor improvements.

City leaders will decide whether to reclassify the road as a four-lane corridor, instead of six lanes, in the general plan update. The city expects to publish a draft of the long-range planning document toward the end of this year.

“There is an option in the study for three lanes on each side that would require the city to purchase frontage property all along the corridor,” Modesto Councilman Tony Madrigal said.

The councilman said he agreed with business owners and other speakers at the well-attended workshops, who clearly wanted safety improvements for pedestrians and bicyclists.

“The area has a lot of people who walk from their neighborhood and do their shopping at businesses on Crows Landing,” Madrigal said. “A lot of children walk to school. Pedestrian safety is the No. 1 issue that needs to be addressed.”

Kelly expects the corridor improvements will evolve as funding is available and development occurs.

Funding for resurfacing and striping the road could be available in two or three years. But it’s expected to take more time to identify funding for high-visibility crosswalks, the first medians and removal of the Butte Avenue signal, which is too close to another signal light.

The study lists a number of long-term actions, including street trees, additional medians and a wider road north of Highway 99.

The north end of Crows Landing also will need to be aligned with the new Seventh Street bridge over the Tuolumne River, officials said.

This story was originally published January 17, 2015 at 7:25 PM with the headline "Modesto rethinking plans for Crows Landing Road improvements."