The effort to widen Airport Way between Yosemite Avenue and Wawona Street is one of Manteca major road work priorities.

It is because Manteca needs to utilize $4.6 million PG&E has set aside over the years under Rule 20 to help fund power line undergrounding projects within the city.

Rule 20 — a California Publics Utilities Commission order issued in 1967 — predates the current PG&E undergrounding effort to reduce wildfires.

The wildfire undergrounding effort triggered a 12.4 percent rate increase that went into effect at the first of the year.

That work is being done initially at least 100 miles from Manteca in wildfire high risk zones.

The Airport Way project was part of a Manteca City Council discussion Tuesday to update road project priorities as the city wraps up three street improvement endeavors before winter weather returns.

The $4.6 million has been accumulated in a PG&E account over the years.

If the funds are not used soon, they can be shifted to projects in other jurisdictions within PG&E’s service territory.

The section of Airport Way has two power lines, one on each side.

City staff noted the power poles are within in an area needed for right-of-way for what could ultimately be a four-lane street with a continuous center turn lane.

The poles either need to be set back or power lines buried underground to widen the roadway.

If the poles are set back, it would be 100 percent the responsibility of the city to provide the funding.

Undergrounding would allow the city to tap the $4.6 million.

It has not been determined if the $4.6 million would cover 100 percent of the undergrounding cost for the stretch of Airport Way.

The city is expected to start working concurrently to secure needed right-of-way with efforts to work with PG&E to commit available underground funding.

When the widening project has been discussed before, it was suggested to do it in two phases if adequate funding was not available.

That meant “three lanes” could initially be constructed — the continuous turn lane and one lane in each direction.

Needed storm drain system improvements associated with setting back power lines —  or undergrounding them — would also be made in the first phase.

The second phase would include curb, gutter, and possible sidewalk as well as the second lane in each direction.

That said, nothing discussed at council level before regarding the widening per se is cast in stone.

Given the city’s recent rethinking of allowing unrestricted left turns in major arterials, the project could advance with a center median of some type.

Prior to the work on widening starting, it is expected traffic signals will be installed at Airport Way and Wawona Street.

They will be set back to accommodate future widening just as the replacement traffic signal on the northeast corner of Yosemite and Airport was done when the dialysis center was built.

Plans calls for Airport Way to eventually be four lanes to a point north of Lathrop Road.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com