The future expansion of the Manteca Transit Center parking to accommodate commuters when ACE service starts in 2026 moved a step closer Tuesday.

The San Joaquin Board of Supervisors authorized the sale of a surplus county parcel at 392 Moffat Boulevard almost directly across from Sherman Avene for the parking lot expansion.

The San Joaquin Rail Commission is buying the parcel for $150,000.

It effectively clears the way for work to start on the downtown Manteca ACE train passenger platform within the next six months.

A center loaded platform and pedestrian crossing will be built adjacent to the existing Manteca Transit Center along Moffat Boulevard.

This would allow for boarding when double tracking is in place.

Additional parking will be added almost to Garfield Avenue.

The Manteca work will cost $25 million and take 22 months to construct. Part of the cost deals with working around a PG&E pipeline.

The project is one of several taking place to bring ACE service to downtown by the end of 2026.

The platform is located in a manner that when trains are loading and unloading passengers the Main Street crossing will not be blocked.

The platform structure that includes bridges over the tracks and an elevator for handicapped access will match the architectural motif of the nearby transit center with its four-sided clock tower on the southeast corner of Main Street and Moffat Boulevard.

The platform  will utilize the existing bus drop-off area to connect Manteca Transit, San Joaquin Regional Transit and Modesto Area Express transit busses to the station.

While most tickets are purchased online, the station will have a ticket vending machine  as well.

State and federal funds are helping cover the cost of the platform work and parking lot expansion.

The city will provide overnight security as an extension of the private service that is now in place.

The transit center and is adjoining parking lot along with the nearby Moffat Community Center/Manteca VFW Hall are two carveouts the city legally could make under court rulings to avoid allowing homeless individuals or anyone else camp or sleep in the area.

The parking lot is expected to give the city — and Manteca High — additional flexibility during major events.

Most events such as street fairs take place on the weekends. Eventually ACE may run weekend trains on a regular basis but that isn’t expected to happen for a number of years.

The Manteca ACE station will be unique for a number of reasons.

*It is not just in downtown, but in the center of the community as opposed to Tracy’s that is on the edge of its downtown and the edge of the community.

*It is a block off the city’s primary north-south arterial — Main Street.

*It is on the backbone of an existing 7-mile separated bike path that will eventually be expanded to loop the city. It currently connects the southeast and north Manteca neighborhoods with downtown.

The Tidewater where the platform is going will swing slightly toward Moffat Boulevard and return back to its existing alignment.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com