In the future, a worker at the Amazon distribution center on Airport Way living in the Paseo Villas at Atherton Drive and Van Ryn Avenue could bicycle to work without ever having to ride along a street.

There likely would not be more than 18 street crossings along with at least half of them controlled by a traffic signal along what would be roughly a six-mile route.

It is the future that is shaping up for the city’s separated bicycle trail system built around the now 3.7 mile Tidewater backbone.

The system’s overall interconnected separated bike path system consists of just under 7 miles with another half mile or so in place in unconnected segments.

The die has been cast for the continued northward expansion of the Tidewater Bikeway as part of a general plan amendment to address urbanization concerns Delicato Family Wines has with city growth nearing its massive winery.

The framework of the blueprint to steer north Manteca growth from less housing to a bigger potential jobs center includes what could eventually become the biggest component of Manteca’s park system — a separated urban bikeway corridor with minimal street crossings.

The deal the City Council has unanimously approved with Delicato to avoid a November 2024 referendum on Manteca’s general plan update adopted in July includes a provision to extend the Tidewater further north from where it now ends on the eastern edge of the Union Ranch neighborhood.

It would connect with the easterly extension of Roth Road.

But before it, does a narrow corridor will accommodate a westward extension to Union Road to a point even with the northernmost boundary of the Del Webb at Woodbridge community.

Midway between Union Road and the straight extension of the Tidewater, a T-intersection takes it north along the eastern boundary of an envisioned 50-acre community park whose northwest corner will touch the intersection of Lovelace and Union roads.

At the northern end of park, it would turn west along the future extension of Lovelace Road and connect with Airport Way across from the Amazon distribution center.

Tidewater was former

railroad right-of-way

The city in the early 1990s bought 35 acres from the Union Pacific Railroad that includes the 3.4-mile track bed of the former Tidewater Southern Railroad.

The current separated bikeway was dedicated in 2002.

Over the years, there have been several bike route plans including ones by San Joaquin County as well as the City of Manteca that outlines various visions for the Tidewater to serve as the backbone.

The city’s two stabs at a bicycle masterplan included an integration of the separated Tidewater bike path with Class II separate lanes along streets to build a robust system of bicycle routes to connect neighborhoods with job centers, recreation amenities, commercial areas, and schools.

It also includes a bike loop of the city with the vast majority of the loop being a Class I separated bike path.

The city also envisioned the Tidewater being a key component of a bike path system connecting Manteca with Ripon, Tracy, and Stockton.

The end of the Atherton Drive bike path at Woodward Avenue across from the fire station was envisioned to continue south and be a part of the land designated for the Austin Road Business Park.

From there, it would connect with a Ripon city system that would allow you to reach the bicycle bridge across the Stanislaus River that takes you into Salida in Stanislaus County.

Two bike path segments west of Manteca are already in place along the 120 Bypass and under Interstate 5 as well as along Interstate 205.

The old Tidewater right-of-way to the north was envisioned to connect with French Camp Road and eventually Stockton.

That likely won’t happen as originally envisioned given the large Delicato warehouse now abuts the old right-of-way and the winery has bought adjacent property.

That said, the obvious way forward to Stockton could be for a separated bike path — or Class II bicycle lanes along Airport Way — to Stockton Metro Airport.

The framework the city is pushing is in its settlement with Delicato could allow that to happen.

Most of the bike path development will occur as adjoining property develops meaning growth will pick up much of the tab.

About the old

Tidewater railroad

The Tidewater Bikeway — named in honor of the former Tidewater Southern Railroad that operated trains into Manteca as late as 1983 — was dedicated in 2002. The original section slices through the middle of Manteca going from Lathrop Road in the north to Spreckels Avenue in the south.

That backbone segment has since been extended with a spur that runs along Spreckels Avenue to Yosemite Avenue as well as down Van Ryn Avenue to reach Woodward Park via a Wellington Avenue segment in the south. The northern end has been extended into the Union Ranch neighborhood and connects with a segment that runs through Del Webb at Woodbridge to Airport Way.

The first railroad was the Southern Pacific that provided the vital transit link to ship milk to San Francisco and produce and sugar to the East Coast markets.

The Tidewater Southern was launched in 1912 with the idea of providing a second route to Southern California to compete with the Southern Pacific. That dream, however, was never realized as only 33 of the envisioned 150 miles were built.

The main line opened to freight service in October of 1912 from Taylor Street in Stockton to Modesto. Overhead catenary electrification of the main line began in May of 1913 and was completed in November of that year to allow the running of three green interurban cars.

The Tidewater ran steam, electric and diesel engines.

The Modesto to Turlock segment was completed in July 1916 while the eight miles from Hatch, located west of Turlock to Hilmar was finished in July 1917. The 6.6-mile branch line to Manteca went into operation by May of 1918.

The Manteca line brought freight and passenger service the same year the city was incorporated. 

The interurban service ended in 1932 but the railroad lived on. Western Pacific obtained it as a feeder line while Union Pacific took control in 1983 when it acquired the Western Pacific.

The Southern Pacific and Tidewater tracks ran parallel in Manteca from a point midway between Alameda Street and Center Street to  what was once Spreckels Road that was a rural road that T-intersected with Moffat Boulevard behind the former Spreckels Sugar refinery where Spreckels Park is now located.

There were eight fruit packing sheds at one time along the stretch of competing railroads.

The Tidewater main line is still part of the Union Pacific system and is used extensively in the Modesto area.

The San Joaquin County portion of the line that runs from Escalon along Highway 120 and then up French Camp Road to the Ace Tomato packing shed before heading north into Stockton is still used to occasionally move agricultural products.

Manteca purchased the 3.4-mile section of the Tidewater right-of-way within the city limits to create the bike path and a 35-acre urban green belt.

The city opted to eliminate the raised bed of the Tidewater and make a meandering path to provide more privacy for neighbors and to make the path interesting.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, e-mail dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com