One of Turlock’s main arterial roadways is due for renovation in the new year.

The Turlock City Council heard a second update earlier this month on the Geer Road project that is currently in the final design phase and is set to be under construction in spring of 2026.

Last August, the city council used Measure A funds to pay Mark Thomas & Company, Inc. nearly $437,000 to initiate the design process for the Geer Road corridor.

Existing conditions of the roadway include distressed pavement, gutter drainage, uneven and missing sidewalks. The project includes pavement rehabilitation, fill in sidewalk gaps, ADA compliance and a buffered bike lane.

Due to the addition of bike lanes there are areas where street parking will be removed, mainly in front of Stanislaus State and Crowell School.

All traffic signals will be updated from loop signals to cameras. The project will also include adding rapid flashing beacons at three crosswalks — two between Canal Drive and Hawkeye Avenue and one just north of Monte Vista Avenue. There will be left-turn pocket extensions at the southbound lanes onto Golden State Boulevard and the northbound lanes onto Monte Vista Avenue.

The roads only need resurfacing at the south end from Canal Drive to Golden State Boulevard and the north end from Monte Vista Avenue to Taylor Road, while the middle part of the roadway needs reconstruction.

The project has been divided up into three packages and the city can either put them out to bid as one or individually. Package 1 (N. Golden State Boulevard to W. Hawkeye Avenue) and Package 2 (W. Hawkeye Avenue to W. Monte Vista Avenue) are set to be done in 2026 and 2027. Package 3 (W. Monte Vista Avenue to W. Taylor Road) is set for 2027 and 2028.

Because Geer Road is a major arterial roadway, the plan is to have one lane open during construction so the road isn’t completely closed while work is being done. Ample signage to alert pedestrians on what sidewalks will be closed at different periods of time are also part of the plans. Work will also only be done in daytime hours.

The engineer’s estimate for costs on the project is $22.2 million total — $6.6 million for Package 1, $7.7 million for Package 2 and $7.9 million for Package 3 — paid for by the citywide sales tax Measure A funds and state STBG funding.

The Geer Road project is just one among many that is part of the city’s Roads Initiative Program that was approved by the council in 2021 and aims to rehabilitate Turlock's 428 lane miles of roads, which currently have a pavement condition index of 55 out of 100, over the course five years by allocating 50% of Measure A funding for the cause. An estimated total of $5.5 million will go towards road projects annually, increasing the city’s existing road funding by 100%.