Tracy Press

How about some transportation planning?

Lammers Road entertained more traffic than normal this week when the school district had its groundbreaking ceremony on the field that will become John C. Kimball High School. The crowd dispersed at the same time commuters were arriving home via Interstate 580 and rural roads leading into town from the south, and the two-lane road clumsily tried to accommodate the rush.

Of course, Lammers was never meant to become a commuter highway route, and it’s expected that someday it will be widened.

Meanwhile, Mayor Brent Ives is in Washington, D.C., to lobby with other San Joaquin County leaders for transportation projects — including $5 million to help pay for the interchange planned at Lammers Road and Interstate 205. With the new high school set to open in 2009 and the Gateway Business Park and other development in the works, it’s not too early to see what federal money could be funneled in this direction for the interchange.

Rep. Jerry McNerney just released his list of earmark requests to benefit the district, information that’s not always forthcoming from members of Congress. He’s led the way in Congress with his “pork projects,” but the freshman’s request for costs associated with the construction of the I-205/Lammers Road interchange is only $1 million. San Joaquin County’s lobbying entourage will ask for five times that to chip away at the $59 million project.

Another McNerney request to the Department of Transportation is for $1 million for reconstruction of the I-205/MacArthur Drive interchange, which needs improvements to permit the safe movement of trucks that serve the industrial area in northeast Tracy. That’s less than half what the local delegation will ask for to help widen the on-and-off ramps at MacArthur.

The county has other important transportation needs, of course, which all have an impact on Tracy, including the extension of Highway 4 to the Port of Stockton, improvements to the Airport Way/Highway 120 interchange in Manteca, and reconstruction of the French Camp/I-5 interchange near the Stockton Metropolitan Airport.

Our concerns with the direction the city of Tracy has taken in the past regarding transportation haven’t been taken seriously by those who govern and those who influence those that govern, and a commuter-laden population barely has time to care about such things. But the slow decay that poor planning implementation has brought to the community, the results of which only a complete idiot can ignore, will only get worse if growth decisions continue to be driven by the narrow interests of housing developers.

We’ll say it again: Tracy needs to embark on a comprehensive plan that addresses transportation and jobs and a better quality of life for the whole community.

We hope that Mayor Ives and the One Voice group will convince McNerney and others in Washington to send more federal money to town. And if they do, we hope Tracy has a comprehensive transportation plan in place that justifies using those funds for something useful, other than providing funds just to tee up another housing development.

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written by Ubbo Coty , April 09, 2008

Yes, transportation issues are hot right now, especially with the rising cost of fuel. Perhaps Mr McNerney should also be just as presistant and secure some type of rail connection between the Central Valley and the Bay Area, namely a BART extension into Tracy. ACE is fine for now, but soon more and more people are going to be paying their employers to work for them due to high fuel prices. Gas prices rose over 20% since this time last year, and are going higher. Why build roads if you can't afford to use them?

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written by amy , April 09, 2008

On my way home from work this morning, I heard that the barrel of oil hit $111.00!! Heard it at 7:37am. Yes, we need to plan this transportation agenda carefully.

I hope the developer will not get the majority of it to build the roads where they want to build the houses? It should go to the City of Tracy to improve ways to bring in customers. Do the developers want less? More customers, more will see the homes already built here and may want to purchase? But with poor roads in place taking up time and gas expense, it is hard to get them to visit Tracy at all.

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written by blinker's garrymandering fiasco , April 09, 2008

TCRAQC-HEAD, infill, apartments means more transportation problems.

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written by amy , April 09, 2008

I agree with Ubbo, we do need Bart Extension, but where? I thought would be at Bowtie, the hub, seems not so?

No house buildings at infills at this time (later, when the economy is better, yes) enhance the appearance of the city at the visible infill. Make for more attractive Tracy and appealing to visitors?

Hub could contain "bagel shops" "starbuck or peets" for those who wait between stops? LOTS of promising possibilities, just put any candidate's "family land" issues aside, emotional issue aside, what is best for the City of Tracy and the citizens who reside there? We find the best answers when we are most objective.

Long night, very tired, till tomorrow, hope to find some positive answers in here. Have a good day to you all.

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written by Dave Hardesty , April 09, 2008

Amy / Ubbo

The last time I researched BART the information led me to the conclusion the BART extension to Tracy, if that ever occurs, would come down the track from Byron and connect to the BART tracks that service Concord, Pittsburg and Antioch.

If that is the case it certainly would involve the bow-tie area in the downtown Tracy area.

While rerouting the ACE train to the bow-tie area seems like a good idea, it would involve purchasing right of way and installing track where track does not currently exist and that very well may be cost prohibitive and it doesn’t seem possible for ACE to service the Manteca and Tracy areas in the current configuration, and have ACE appear in the downtown sector.

When I read about future BART plans years ago I thought it didn’t make sense. But considering the other communities we do not have easy access to by automobile, having BART come out of Concord just might be more beneficial than attempting to bring it down the Pleasanton BART line, through Livermore and over the Altamont Pass and then experience a similar problem with ACE it getting it over to the bow-tie area.

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written by Dave Hardesty , April 09, 2008

Amy/Ubbo cont.

This might have been easier had the old Western Pacific line through the Altamont had not been abandoned, had the tracks completely removed and the right-of-way go back to the landowners in the area. But what is done is done and that avenue is probably impossible today.

Either way, I don’t expect BART will be available for Tracy residents to use from Tracy any time in the near future. But it is nice to think about.

I agree with you Amy, it appears we do need to concentrate more on making Tracy more appealing to visitors and future home buyers rather than solely concentrating on building more houses.

For one, large businesses that could locate in Tracy, and bring jobs to people living in Tracy don’t really want to locate here because Tracy, in its current configuration, doesn’t really facilitate the needs of a new larger Tracy based labor force. It’s getting there but still has a ways to go and, in my opinion, we should concentrate our efforts there.

Many people have asked why we don’t have a Trader Joe’s here in town. From what I know of the issue Trader Joe’s doesn’t currently feel Tracy’s current demographics is right so that such an endeavor on their part would be economically feasible in their business plan.

I am sure there are other businesses that feel the same towards Tracy and perhaps we need to concentrate on changing that to better support the needs and wants of the citizens in Tracy.

Dave Hardesty

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written by d , April 09, 2008

The effect of poor planning and the negative impact of the lack any forsight (Infrastrucure, roads, population) on the part of our Leaders will be with us for the future.

Corral Hollow will still be the only way to get to shopping. No plans to address the 6000 more people in Tracy for AKT and Ellis. The increase in Fees, Permits, Water and Sewer is going to pay for improvements for the benifit of Tracy Hills and Ellis. This is a gift from Ives, Tucker and Tolbert.
We will be paying for this in more ways than one.

This is just the beginning of this f

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written by d , April 09, 2008

Fiasco!

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written by Dave Hardesty , April 10, 2008

The problem with planning anything is that you never have 20/20 forsight while you always have 20/20 hindsight.

Learn from past mistakes and try your best to not make them in the future.

It will never lead to a perfect plan, as things always crop up, but it will make things better in the long run.

Dave Hardesty

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written by d , April 10, 2008

The problem is that the council and city planners have no PLAN much less hindsight or any forsight...

I see a complete failure to address - Traffic, Increased population and who will build and pay for it. Schools, parks, jobs. Only one road to the mall does not cut it! A good plan with top notch design is what needs to happen.

Just building Tracy Hills and filling in the blanks along the way is not planning!

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written by amy , April 10, 2008

Dave Hardesty, thank you for supplying such interesting information!! Alot I didn't know.

That is why I asked about architectural plan for the City of Tracy months ago, and, who is responsible for the design of the city, to see the direction of the city's growth... showing plots of land for designated businesses and such. To see such infill in areas visible to be made attractive for business potential, tourists and possible families searching for place to place roots for their young to grow. Also, to see how Measure A, U,and V affected this plan if any?

Several recreational plans were put on hold for years and failed to materalize. That alone, I think, isolated us from potentiality of enhancing "Tracy" further. It could be due to hodge-podge of plans since everyone seemed to have different ideas of what they want to see built in Tracy. I feel "Tracy" is being "pulled" in all direction by different people who wanted a slice of the pie instead of giving the slice of pie to the city. (For lack of better description)

Big businesses are not too enthused about establishing their base here due to poor economy right at this time. Tracy showed them that there are not many infrastructure in place. Tourists visiting this area, jobs to keep the people employed, many homes foreclosed. When the citizens are locally employed they generate revenue into the economy. The businesses want to see their own company grow, and that is wise on their part. I would not establish my business in unpromising area, either.

Without the "architectural plan" of the city it is like building a house without following the blueprint. A plan needs to be solidfied, hard to do that with so many dissenting plans in place. Less dissent, better chance of progress?

Again, thanks, for the information! I so much enjoyed reading it.