Traffic heading through Ripon is expected to be impacted for a large portion of the morning commute after Caltrans closed the No. 1 lane near Milgeo Ave. for emergency roadway repairs.

The roadway closed at 7 p.m. on Thursday night and while the agency that oversees California’s highways believes it will reopen today, this is currently no estimated time of reopening.

While the No. 1 lane – the left lane, commonly referred to as the “fast” lane – will be closed, the No. 2 and No. 3 lanes headed northbound will remain open for traffic. Delays are expected for all traffic headed northbound, and Caltrans recommends finding an alternate route to get through the area – which could back up traffic through San Joaquin County and across the bridge into Stanislaus County, as was shown on the map the agency posted on social media.

Northbound traffic headed to the Highway 120 Bypass to access the Bay Area could end up spilling over into cities like Ripon that have been dealing with commuters cutting through when traffic gets bad on local highways.

For up to date highway conditions, visit the California Department of Transportation’s website and search the map for the area at http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov.

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.