North County Corridor Phase 1 Project

Project Overview

The ultimate North County Corridor Project is an 18-mile realignment of State Route 108 around the Modesto, Riverbank and Oakdale communities. For increased flexibility related to the timing of available funding, the corridor was segmented into four phases. The first phase will build upon previous infrastructure investments and will build on the ultimate North County Corridor alignment from Oakdale Road to Claus Road. The North County Corridor Phase 1 Project can be constructed, opened to the public, and operated effectively without the remaining phases being completed.

The Phase 1 Project includes the construction of a new four-lane access-controlled expressway, a new interchange at Roselle Avenue, grade separated structures over the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail line, Terminal Avenue, and the Modesto Irrigation District Main Canal, and new frontage roads to maintain access to adjacent properties.

The Phase 1 Project includes the following upgrades and features

  • Construction of a new four-lane access-controlled expressway from Oakdale Road to Claus Road
  • New interchange at Roselle Avenue
  • Grade separated structures over the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) rail line, Terminal Avenue, and the Modesto Irrigation District’s (MID’s) Main Canal
  • Realigned Claribel Road with a large culvert crossing at MID’s Main Canal and grade separated structures over the BNSF rail line and Terminal Avenue
  • New frontage roads to maintain access to adjacent properties
  • New continuous shoulders, improved bike and pedestrian facilities, lighting
  • In addition to using recycled tires for rubberized asphalt mixes on the roadway, the project team is pursuing a partnering opportunity with CalRecycle to use recycled tire shreds in the embankments and behind retaining walls”

Cooperation with Caltrans

When Phases 1 through 4 of the North County Corridor are constructed and complete, this new corridor will be adopted into Caltrans’ State Highway System as the new State Route 108, and Caltrans will be responsible for maintenance activities. At that time, the existing State Route 108 (and maintenance responsibilities for it) will be relinquished to the local and regional partner agencies. Because of this, the local and regional partner agencies (Stanislaus County, Cities of Modesto, Riverbank and Oakdale, and Stanislaus Council of Governments) have worked closely with Caltrans’ District 10 on all aspects of the project development processes and documentation requirements, and Caltrans has and will continue to provide oversight to all Phases of the corridor projects, including this Phase 1 Project.

Project Benefits

  • Improves east-west travel time reliability for the residents and businesses within Stanislaus county and the Cities of Modesto, Riverbank, and Oakdale
  • Improves integration with major north-south freight corridors
  • Connects the eastern portions of Stanislaus County to State Route 99
  • Enhances recreational and tourist travel to Yosemite National Park

  • Reduces congestion for commuters, recreational traffic, and interregional good movement in northern Stanislaus County
  • Eliminates BNSF rail crossings where currently 46 passenger and freight train crossings occur each day, delaying auto and truck traffic
  • Reduces traffic and congestion-related delays by 844,000 person-hours annually
  • Improves velocity and throughput for autos and trucks
  • Reduces hours of delay on existing local roads
  • Encourages alternative transportation mode choices
  • Reduced auto/truck idle times reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improve air quality

  • Provides a more direct and dependable east-west truck route in the region
  • Support the regional economy; the benefit of the project to freight alone is $156.2 million
  • Stanislaus county produces almost 4 million tons of agricultural goods per year, which translates to $3.6 billion of agricultural income
  • Enhances access to local industrial and commerce centers
  • Enhances access to the former U.S. Army’s Riverbank Army Ammunition Plant, which will spur economic investment in the redevelopment of the facility
  • Reduced delays translate to an economic benefit for businesses in Stanislaus County who truck their products to State Route 99 for distribution to the world

  • Eliminates conflicts with rail traffic by eliminating the at-grade BNSF rail crossings
  • Reduces conflicts between motorized traffic and non-motorized travelers
  • Provides continuous shoulders for bike lanes
  • Provides sidewalks for pedestrian
  • Provides street lighting on the new expressway facility and local road crossings
  • Improves emergency service provider response times