Airport Way north from Wawona Street to near Waterfall Way — just south of Crom Street — can’t be widened to four lanes until existing PG&E power poles are either buried or set back.
And given almost the entire 4,300-foot stretch is broken up by small parcels, development won’t occur on a scale that will put the cost of such work on the private sector’s dime.
That would mean in addition to coming up with the money to widen the referenced section of Airport Way, the city would need to fund either pole relocation or their burial due to the number of smaller parcels.
The public works staff has come up with a way to fast track widening Airport sway — a city priority — without breaking the proverbial piggy bank.
The Manteca City Council when they meet tonight at 6 p.m. will conduct a public hearing to establish an underground utility district.
The district would run north from Wawona Street to a point 300 feet of Waterfall Way. At that point there is a large parcel where a developer — when they go to build — can be required to pay for the relocation of PG&E poles.
Manteca plans to utilize $4.6 million PG&E has set aside over the years 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.
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 from Wawona to Yosemite Avenue has two power lines, one on each side.
North of Yosemite Avenue power lines are only the west side of Airport Way,
City staff previously noted the power poles are within in an area needed for road and sidewalk right-of-way for what could ultimately be a four-lane street with a continuous center turn lane.
That said, PG&E has indicated there is adequate existing right of way to underground lines along the company’s current easement.
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 to secure needed right-of-way to widen the road once an underground utility district is formed.
Prior to the work on widening starting, it is expected traffic signals will be installed at Airport Way and Wawona Street. That work is expected to start in 2025.
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 and south to Peach Avenue south of the 120 Bypass.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
