Pioneer Road update: council hears 6‑mile complete‑streets plan, residents press for 4 lanes and neighborhood protections

City staff presented an update on Oct. 1 on the Pioneer Road Complete Streets project, a planning and construction program intended to create an east–west arterial across the south portion of Los Banos.

Project overview: the corridor extends roughly 6.5 miles from east of Highway 152 near Merced College to Highway 152 at Ward Road. The plan combines two‑lane and four‑lane segments, intersection upgrades, drainage improvements, and new pedestrian and bicycle facilities. Staff said the project was approved in principle by council in January 2021 and has been organized into phased segments to align with funding and environmental review cycles; construction pacing shown in the presentation runs in multi‑segment intervals through 2044 and beyond. The city awarded a $6.6 million construction contract earlier in the year for the first construction phase at Pioneer Road and Ortigalita Road; staff said the initial phase is underway and a temporary four‑way stop will be in place by Nov. 24 while signal equipment is finalized.

Public comment and council concerns: a community workshop on Sept. 9 generated about 30 attendees and recurring concerns that staff summarized for council. Residents asked that the design preserve neighborhood compatibility, questioned transitions that change from two lanes to four lanes and back to two lanes, and asked whether left‑turn access, turn pockets, median design, noise and vibration, and property impacts during and after construction had been fully addressed. One resident said school bus stops and pedestrian safety near Eleventh Street and Black Hills Avenue were a focal point. Council members asked whether the corridor cross section and segments were designed to allow an eventual continuous four‑lane facility; staff said the corridor is set up to accommodate four lanes city‑wide but current phasing reflects funding and traffic‑forecasted needs.

Funding and next steps: staff reiterated the project's total estimated cost will exceed $100 million across all segments and emphasized dependence on external grants and intergovernmental funding. Next steps include continuing environmental and technical studies, pursuing federal and state grants, and addressing comments from the September community workshop during design for upcoming segments.

Why it matters: Pioneer is intended to provide an alternate east–west route and reduce traffic on State Route 152. Residents and council members said early consideration of neighborhood impacts and a corridor‑level plan would help ensure the project becomes an asset rather than an expressway that severs neighborhoods.

Council direction: the council voted to continue the project's phasing as presented and asked staff to return with additional materials responding to public concerns and, at councilmember request, a proposed corridor plan scope, schedule and cost to frame longer‑term character and land‑use outcomes.