South County Corridor struggles emerge with new maps

Possible paths for the future South County Corridor were revealed this week, helping to unmask potential conflicts among those with competing interests:

▪ Instead of a dispute between Patterson and Newman over where the four-lane, 18-mile expressway should tie into Interstate 5, new maps suggest a tug-of-war between Patterson and Stanislaus County leaders. The city wants the new road to join I-5 at a future Zacharias Road interchange near its impressive industrial parks, but the county would prefer that the South County Corridor serve its dream for a huge industrial complex near Crows Landing and the existing Fink Road interchange.

▪ Choosing the northern option could set up a battle among landowners northeast of Patterson, where engineers have drawn six alternate paths with wildly different implications. Some landowners have been waiting for a peek at potential routes, finally made public Wednesday.

▪ Previous signs indicated no argument on the expressway’s east end, where Turlock leaders have envisioned the South County Corridor replacing West Main Street with direct access to the city’s Westside industrial zone. But engineers want to explore using Fulkerth Road instead.

“Not everyone is going to want the same route,” said public relations consultant Kendall Flint at a Newman workshop, where partner agencies kicked off a series of town hall meetings. They also visited Turlock this week, with a final stop coming Jan. 28 in Patterson.

The partnership is composed of Patterson, Newman, Turlock and the county. All want a safe, freeway-type connection linking Highway 99 to I-5, with a smoother flow for cars and trucks toward the Bay Area.

Critics have not emerged. That could change as people become aware that they could be forced to move homes or businesses to make way for the South County Corridor.

Newman City Manager Michael Holland said traffic from Southern California would prefer the Crows Landing connection. Newman doesn’t stand to gain all that much regardless of which interchange is chosen because both are relatively far from his city, he said.

County Supervisor Jim DeMartini, who represents Patterson and Newman, seemed to like the idea of an expressway on Fulkerth rather than West Main.

Patterson leaders are expected to make a strong case for the expressway skirting their city to the north. That route is outlined in the city’s general plan, a document guiding growth.

The South County Corridor could cost hundreds of millions of dollars, said Keith Rhodes of T.Y. International, the engineering firm that drew up the maps. A firmer figure will emerge in a feasibility study; a draft could be ready by November, with several public meetings between now and then to collect people’s thoughts.

Flint said an interactive map soon will be available online, where people can draw lines suggesting other routes for engineers to consider.

“The South County Corridor is really designed to be a project of mutual benefit for all the jurisdictions,” Flint said. “The intention is to get something that works for everyone.”

Routing decisions ultimately will be decided by the Stanislaus Council of Governments, a transportation planning agency composed of elected representatives from the county and its nine cities.

The next workshop begins at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 28 at 1033 W. Las Palmas Ave., Patterson.

For more information, go to www.valleyvisionstanislaus.com.

This story was originally published January 15, 2015 at 4:23 PM with the headline "South County Corridor struggles emerge with new maps."