Innovation
Transportation planners seek out innovation to make it easier motorists and others to get where they need to be, whether it be in San Joaquin County or beyond. Innovations such as longer-lasting pavement, solar-powered streetlights, and alternative fuel vehicles for all modes of transportation are some of the innovations that were once thought futuristic, but are now being used every day. And the benefits are limited only by our imagination. They can make it more convenient to take public transit, which eases traffic congestion, takes cars off the road, reduces greenhouse gas emissions to improve air quality. Innovation can come from simply looking at a challenge differently.
- Diverging Diamond Interchanges – Manteca, Tracy
- Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Buses – San Joaquin Regional Transit District
Diverging Diamond Interchanges – Manteca, Tracy
The City of Manteca used Measure K funds for the first-in-the-state diverging diamond interchange (DDI). Manteca is now planning for more DDIs – at State Route 120 and Main Street and State Route 120 and Airport Way. And Tracy is using Measure K funds for the design and construction of a DDI at Interstate 580 and International Parkway/Patterson Plass Road. While unnerving at first since traffic travels to the left for a distance crossing the interchange, there are several benefits. DDIs improve safety by reducing potential conflict points between vehicles and between vehicles and pedestrian and bike traffic. The DDIs increases safety for pedestrians and cyclists by providing a separated 10-foot-wide lane so they never come in conflict with motorized vehicles. Traffic flow is improved, the overall interchange footprint is compact by comparison, and it is a cost effective, efficient solution.