Area residents are invited to a public hearing on Thursday, Sept. 7 at the Gene Bianchi Community Center, 110 S. Second Ave., Oakdale. The hearing will run from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., focused on the North County Corridor Project, from Tully Road to SR-120 (New State Route 108).
The public hearing will be conducted in an open forum format, and no formal presentation will be made. Members of the public are invited to attend at their convenience between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Comment sheets on which to make written comments will be available; and court reporters will be available to record verbal comments. Spanish-speaking staff members will also be available at the public hearing in Oakdale to answer questions and translate.
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the County of Stanislaus propose to identify a roadway alignment for a west-east facility from State Route 108 (SR-108) (McHenry Avenue) north of the City of Modesto to SR-120 approximately six miles east of the City of Oakdale. The project may be an entirely new roadway or incorporated into the existing roadway network and would serve as a bypass for the cities of Riverbank, Oakdale and Modesto.
The North County Corridor Transportation Expressway Authority (NCCTEA) anticipates that the ultimate facility would be planned as a multi-lane, access-controlled expressway/freeway with interchanges, at-grade intersections, grade-separated railroad crossings, irrigation district crossings, frontage roadway, and local street alignments.
Caltrans has studied the effects this project may have on the environment. The report that explains the determination is called an Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS).
The hearing is being held to give people an opportunity to talk about certain design features of the project with Caltrans staff before the final alignment is selected. Attendees will have the opportunity to discuss the tentative schedule for the purchase of right-of-way and construction, and Caltrans staff will explain the Department’s relocation assistance for residents moved by the project.
Maps for the Draft EIR/EIS and other project information are available in hard-copy format and distributable electronic format for review at the following offices during normal business hours: Caltrans District Office at 1976 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Stockton; Riverbank City Hall, 6707 Third St., Riverbank; Oakdale Public Works Department, 455 S. Fifth Ave., Oakdale; Modesto City Hall, 1010 Tenth St., Modesto; Stanislaus County Public Works Department, 1716 Morgan Road, Modesto; Modesto Library, 1500 I St., Modesto; Oakdale Library, 151 S. First Ave., Oakdale; and the Riverbank Public Library, 3442 Santa Fe St., Riverbank.
Comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Report/Statement (EIR/EIS) may be submitted until Friday, Sept. 22 to the following Caltrans address: Caltrans District 6, Attention: Juan Torres, P.O. Box 12616, Fresno, CA 93778-2616.
For more information about the project, members of the public are welcome to contact Grace Magsayo, Project Manager, at (209) 948-7976 or grace.magsayo@dot.ca.gov. They are also welcome to contact Matt Machado, Director, Stanislaus County Public Works at (209) 525-4153, or machadom@stancounty.com.
