The ripple effect of what could eventually be a $150 million three-phase upgrade of the Highway 99/120 Bypass will go far beyond Manteca.

And it is in ways that one might not expect.

“It is huge,” Ripon Mayor Leo Zuber said of the project that broke ground Wednesday morning, July 17, during ceremonies on the grounds of the Crossroads Community Church on Moffat Boulevard.

Zuber wasn’t talking about the scale of the overall project — arguably the most expensive and elaborate interchange upgrade ever undertaken in the South County area.

Zuber said the unjamming of the 120 Bypass with the first phase of adding a second transition lane from eastbound 120 Bypass to southbound Highway 99 will ease traffic congestion in neighboring downtown Ripon and other streets in the community three miles to the south of the project.

That’s because apps are now directing motorists to alternate routes that send them onto Ripon surface streets to avoid the often miles long afternoon commute backup on the 120 Bypass that is a stop and go situation on the best of commute days.

On any given weekday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., traffic — and the quality of life — in Ripon deteriorates because of the commute snafu on the 120 Bypass.

The San Joaquin Council of Governments, SJCOG, conducted the groundbreaking and is the lead agency on the project, coordinating with Caltrans, Union Pacific Railroad and the City of Manteca. Among the many officials on hand for the ceremonial groundbreaking was Escalon Mayor Dave Bellinger, who is a member of the COG Board of Directors.

“It is a linchpin,” San Joaquin Council of Governments Executive Director Diane Nguyen said of the interchange.

It is a reference not to how clearing up congestion and safety issues is critical for the Northern San Joaquin Valley region but beyond the county in terms of moving goods and commuters in a timely fashion.

Tracy Mayor Nancy Young — whose community of 97,000 is arguably the leading Northern California distribution hub for goods with no less than three mega-Amazon fulfillment centers among many others — stressed that improved truck movements will make doing business in San Joaquin County more cost effective.

Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln pointed to the county’s 100,000 commuters — plus those from Stanislaus County — many of whom have to pass through the interchange to commute to and from work.

Lincoln noted San Joaquin County is also home to 31,000 super commuters who spend at least three hours a day driving to work and then back home in order to support their families.

As such, untangling the 120 Bypass mess will mean they will end up spending less time behind the wheel and more time with families.

Manteca Mayor Gary Singh reminded those gathered of what started the move to address interchange inadequacies — the exceptionally high accident rate with an accompanying much higher number of deaths.

“Saving lives is the most important thing,” Singh said.

Caltrans data showed that the section of freeway has roughly seven times more accidents than an average freeway section in the state.

At the same time, accidents happen on almost a daily basis along the 120 Bypass due to merging and congestion issues.

Nguyen added that reducing backups to allow for more free-flowing traffic will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve overall air quality.

The first phase that is expected to take two years to complete includes the following pieces:

* Replaces the Austin Road interchange with a six lane overcrossing that also will clear the railroad tracks.

* Constructs a second lane for the transition from the eastbound 120 Bypass to southbound Highway 99.

* Reconfigures Woodward Avenue’s connection to Moffat Boulevard and its crossing of the railroad tracks at a 90-degree angle and adds traffic signals.

* Builds a new road connecting Woodward Avenue with Austin Road.

* Adds an auxiliary lane in each direction on Highway 99 from the 120 Bypass to about 1.7 miles south of Austin Road by shifting the median away from the Union Pacific right-of-way and relocating the frontage road.

* Adds an auxiliary lane in the existing median of the eastbound 120 Bypass from Main Street to Highway 99 to provide a dedicated lane to connect to the new 120/99 separation structure.

It also will remove the northbound on ramp and southbound off ramp on Highway 99 at Austin Road until the third phase is completed.

Efforts are being made to have funding secured by the time the first phase is completed to build the second phase.

The second phase will add an additional transition lane from northbound Highway 99 to the westbound 120 Bypass.

The third phase costing $55 million – and for which there is no funding secured as of yet – will:

* Restore the southbound off ramp by constructing a grade-separated braided ramp to eliminate weaving with 120 Bypass merging traffic.

* Construct the entrance ramp from Austin Road to northbound Highway 99 and to the westbound 120 Bypass as a braided ramp that will separate traffic movements to Highway 99 and the 120 Bypass.

* Relocate the northbound Highway 99 exit ramp to Austin Road to accommodate the braided onramp.

* Add an auxiliary lane in the existing median of the eastbound 120 Bypass from Main Street to Highway 99 to provide a dedicated lane to connect to the new 120/99 separation structure.

* Make the 120 Bypass six lanes from Airport Way to Highway 99.

The high cost of the third phase design is reflected in the necessity not to impede traffic flow and create a major safety hazard from the 120 Bypass south to 99 and from 99 going north to the eastbound 120 Bypass.

In order to do so the ramp for southbound Austin would start for eastbound 120 Bypass traffic at a point near the Bypass crossing of Moffat Boulevard and the railroad tracks while the ramp for southbound 99 traffic to access Austin would start prior to the 120 Bypass connector flyover.