North County Corridor Phase 1 to reshape Clarabelle area; Roselle Avenue to close for up to a year, county says

Brad Real, project manager with NV5, told the Riverbank City Council that construction of North County Corridor Phase 1 will begin in mid‑2025 and last about three years, with contractor equipment expected to arrive around June 1.

The project covers about three miles of new freeway south of Clarabelle Road and will include a new interchange with bridges and on‑ and off‑ramps near Roselle Avenue, a raised freeway built on up to about 40 feet of fill, and the elimination of an at‑grade rail crossing. Real said the work will cross the MID canal and BNSF tracks and “we'll be eliminating the existing at grade crossing, which will be a great benefit for time getting across town as well as safety.” He told the council the total construction cost is about $150,000,000 and that the contractor will import more than two million cubic yards of embankment material to build the project.

Why it matters: the design promises improved traffic flow and safety by removing the at‑grade railroad crossing, but will require significant local detours and near‑term disruption for Riverbank residents and businesses.

Key schedule and traffic impacts

- Real said the contractor's equipment is expected around June 1; the project will proceed in five stages and finish in spring or summer 2028. Early work focuses on the corridor alignment about a quarter‑mile south of Clarabelle Road and on widening nearby local roads. - Oakdale Road and Claus Road will be widened in staged work; temporary concrete K‑rail will be used to preserve lanes while crews widen the roadway and then flip traffic to the newly constructed side. - Roselle Avenue will be closed for about one year in a zone between Clarabelle and Sylvan (Real described the closure “from the Covenant Grove Church down to Sylvan”), with access to properties and the church retained but no through traffic, to allow heavy earthmoving equipment to operate safely. - The contractor and county purchased roughly 62 adjacent acres, Real said, to harvest local earth material (rather than haul in material from distant sites) and to create a basin for project drainage and runoff.

Local outreach and detours

Real said detours will direct northbound drivers at the closure to Sylvan and then north on Oakdale or Claus, and southbound drivers onto Clarabelle and back onto Claus or Oakdale. Officials plan advance changeable message boards, mailed notices to directly affected properties, a 24‑hour project hotline and a project website (NorthCountyCorridorphase1.com) updated with construction photos, schedules and traffic switch notices. Real said the project team will send individual letters to residents and businesses when work will affect their access.

Council questions and staff clarifications

Council members asked whether interim intersection enhancements would be completed before Roselle closes; Real said interim measures will be implemented and that some improvements will be made to Oakdale and Claus to accommodate traffic while Roselle is closed. Council members also raised concerns about the mailing list and asked that outreach cover a broader set of Riverbank residents; Real acknowledged not all residents received earlier notices and urged residents to use the project website and hotline for the latest information.

Funding and future phases

Real said phase 2 funding is still under development and is “a few years out,” and that other road closures (including a Terminal Avenue closure required to construct rail bridges) will be scheduled in coordination with the contractor’s detailed schedule.

Where to get updates

Real said the project team will hold periodic community outreach meetings (they held one recently at Covenant Grove Church), post regular updates to NorthCountyCorridorphase1.com and staff a 24‑hour hotline for construction questions and complaints.