About a fifth of the funding is in hand to extend the Highway 132 bypass that opened in Modesto in late 2022.
The initial project is a two-lane expressway from Highway 99 to Dakota Avenue. It runs for three miles just south of Kansas Avenue, taking traffic off Maze Boulevard.
The extension would stretch five miles to Gates Road. So far, about $88 million has been secured from local, state and federal sources. That money is going to detailed engineering and right-of-way purchases, which could be completed next year.
Construction would follow if another $305 million or so comes through, with an opening as soon as 2029.
StanCOG board got update on 132
The Stanislaus Council of Governments provided an update at an August meeting and by email to The Modesto Bee. The agency oversees transportation funding with a 16-member board made up of county supervisors and city council members.
The 132 bypass has been discussed since the late 1950s, when the California Department of Transportation started buying right of way. Maze has been a state highway since the 1930s, but it has many homes, businesses and other destinations along it. The route serves Bay Area commuters, long-distance truckers and other drivers.