Supervisors get update on North County Corridor

Stanislaus County supervisors received an update on the North County Corridor expressway and related environmental work that should be completed next year.

A consultant and staff members with the project’s Joint Powers Authority have worked on environmental field studies this year. The California Department of Transportation needs to review the reports before a draft environmental study is released in the spring.

The JPA plans to hold public meetings in summer of 2015 to see if residents in Oakdale, Riverbank and the county area can reach a consensus on the best alignment for the traffic corridor. The expressway north of Modesto would link Highway 99 near Salida with Highway 108 somewhere east of Oakdale.

The expressway, featuring major improvements at intersections such as McHenry Avenue, could cost upward of $400 million. There’s support for the western part of the expressway to follow Kiernan Avenue, also known as state Highway 219, but the eastern alignment needs to be worked out.

Because the state is widening 219 east of Highway 99 in Salida, the current plan is to build the expressway between Tully Road and the city of Oakdale. According to a timetable, the JPA hopes to work on the designs and land purchases for the roadway from 2016 to 2018. Construction could begin in 2019.

County leaders took no action on the informational item.

Supervisor Terry Withrow said he was impressed that public input has influenced the project. The JPA was formed in 2008 to develop the North County Corridor after a feasibility study concluded it could be built.

Supervisor Bill O’Brien clarified that the corridor improvements won’t extend all the way to Highway 99 because there is not enough funding.

Planners hope the North County Corridor will reduce the number of trucks on local roads and improve safety on the highway that runs through the center of Riverbank and Oakdale.

The project is supposed to improve east-west traffic circulation and provide better access for motorists to Modesto, Riverbank and Oakdale.

A geographic information system available on the county website enables the public to see details of the expressway and the proposed intersection upgrades. People can use the GIS program and view other documents on the North County Corridor at www.stancounty.com/publicworks.

This story was originally published October 21, 2014 at 9:00 PM.