LODI, Calif. — Improvements are coming to what’s called the "Northern gateway into Lodi" off Highway 99. The project aims to help with traffic flow on and off State Route 99 and the Turner Road Interchange area in Lodi.
The off-ramp section between Pioneer Drive and Turner Way will be reconstructed for two-way traffic. The area will also have new access for bicyclists and pedestrians that wasn't there before.
The on-ramp from Pioneer Drive to southbound SR-99 will be longer to make for safer driving conditions.
Matt Satow is the vice president at Dewberry, the company overseeing the project's environmental review, engineering, and construction. He says the improvements to the interchange and SR-99 are long-awaited.
“If you want to go north on Cherokee and reach Turner Road -- it stops right here because you have the freeway off-ramp which becomes one-way traffic here. People now have to make a left through this neighborhood and go right past the elementary school and go the circuitous route to get over to Turner Road. That goes for vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, everyone,” said Satow.
The improvements will take traffic out of a residential neighborhood and put it more directly on the highway. This means less traffic around Lawrence Elementary School due to drivers headed to Turner Road.
There will also be a new roundabout off SR-99 to control traffic. Satow says roundabouts are cropping up more around California and they're actually more effective than a traffic signal.
The $6 million project is set to be done in the fall of 2024 with the help of Lodi, Caltrans, and the San Joaquin Council of Governments. Find out more about the project here.
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