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Turlock roads manager outlines multi-year repairs, seeks federal funding for Gear Road safety work
Summary
At Monday’s city council meeting, the city’s roads program presenter reviewed task orders and bid packages totaling 40.5 miles of work, reported a $4.8 million federal grant for Gear Road and said staff will seek an additional $2 million for safety improvements; the council heard schedule and maintenance plans and asked for further design review before final approvals.
Mister Pizzesh, presenting an update on Turlock’s roads program, told the City Council the program now encompasses 40.5 miles of street work across design, construction and planned projects and that 21 miles are either constructed or currently under construction.
Pizzesh said the initial task order (issued 04/25/2023) produced multiple consultant assignments that led to four advertised bid packages for 22 streets. He said most packages are effectively complete aside from one street still awaiting contractor remobilization following water‑main replacement.
On the Gear Road corridor, Pizzesh said the city secured $4,800,000 in Surface Transportation Block Grant (SDBG) funding for safety improvements and that staff will request an additional $2,000,000 to cover further safety elements. He said federal funding requires environmental clearance at the federal level and noted Caltrans is assisting with that process. He said the Gear Road project has been split into two phases: Golden State to Monte Vista, and Monte Vista to Taylor, with the first phase coordinating with the school district on a bus turnout.
Pizzesh also detailed contract timing: one recently advertised bid package had a bid opening scheduled for Sept. 5 with a hoped‑for award on Sept. 23. He said the plan is to perform as much concrete work as possible in winter and complete paving in spring.
On pavement‑management outcomes, Pizzesh summarized the program’s effect on the pavement condition index (PCI). He said the city’s PCI was 62 at the time of an earlier report and that, without investment, a 2027 projection would have dropped to 44; with current work the city is now at about 60 and has gained roughly 10 PCI points over the no‑investment scenario. He urged ongoing maintenance—routine crack sealing and slurry—what he described as the program’s long‑term preservation strategy.
Pizzesh stressed that some work on Gear Road visible to residents is being performed by PG&E and is not a city project: “the work that is going on out there is all 100% PG and E. It has nothing to do with the city.”
Council members thanked staff for the consolidated update and asked Pizzesh to return with additional design materials. A council member asked about safety changes at Geer and Kristofferson; Pizzesh said staff is reviewing northbound left‑turn capacity and will present the full design to council before finalizing and will collect public input at a second round of information meetings.
Next steps identified by staff included completing environmental clearances required by federal funding, returning to council to request authorization to advertise once funding is in place, and scheduling public information meetings for Gear Road design review.
Votes or formal council approvals were not required for the presentation itself; the council recorded follow‑up requests and thanked staff for the update.
