Skip to main content

Atwater-Merced Expressway

By

Atwater-Merced Expressway is a mostly unconstructed new highway located in Merced County.  The planned scope of the expressway would connect from California State Route 140 south of Atwater to California State Route 59 near the University of California-Merced Campus.  Phase 1A was completed during 2016 and included a new ramp at California State Route 99 along with a new segment of highway to Green Sands Road.  Currently Phase 1B to Santa Fe Drive (County Route J7) is planned to break ground during late 2026 or early 2027.  



Part 1; an overview the planned scope of Atwater-Merced Expressway

The purpose of the Atwater-Merced Expressway is to enhance access to the campus of University of California-Merced (UC-Merced).  In full scale the corridor is planned to originate at California State Route 140 (McSwain Road) south of Atwater and terminate at the intersection of California State Route 59 and Bellevue Road.  

Currently access to the UC-Merced is mostly provided by way of substandard two-lane roadways.  The concept of a Merced campus as part of the University of California system was borne during the late 1980s and early 1990s due to increased Central Valley enrollment.  The University of California Board of Regents selected Merced for the planned new campus during May 1995.  Construction of the UC-Merced campus broke ground during October 2002 and would open for classes during September 2005.  

Phase 1A of Atwater-Merced Expressway included a replacement for the Buhach Road ramp at California State Route 99 and new segment of road connecting north to Green Sands Avenue.  $47 million of the phase was funded by way of 2006 Proposition 1B.  The remaining unfunded part of the phase fell through due to a state-wide budget cut which came during the 2007-2009 era.  

The remaining balance of Phase 1A funding came later via various differing state sources and broke ground during 2013.   The phase was dedicated by the Merced County Association of Governments and Caltrans on March 25, 2016.  



Phase 2 and 3 of the Atwater-Merced Expressway remain not fully funded.  Phase 1B would extend the corridor from Green Sands Road north to County Route J7 (Santa Fe Drive).  Phase 2 is planned to connect to California State Route 59/Bellevue Road whereas Phase 3 would extend south to California State Route 140 (McSwain Road).  



Atwater-Merced Expressway 1B is currently facing Environmental Impact Study difficulties.  The Merced Sun-Star reported during April 2025 that Merced County officials hope to break ground on the segment during late 2026 or early 2027.  



Part 2; a drive on Atwater-Merced Expressway

The completed Phase 1A portion of Atwater-Merced Expressway is accessible from California State Route Exit 193.  The corridor currently only extends north of the freeway as a two-lane highway a short distance to a temporary terminus at Green Sands Roads.  






Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Did Caltrans just kill the G26 cutout US Route shields?

By
The US Route System was formally created by the American Association of State Highway Officials during November 1926.  Through the history of the system the only state to which has elected to maintain cutout US Route shields has been California.  The G26 series cutout US Route shields have become a favorite in the road enthusiast hobby and are generally considered to be much more visually pleasing than the standard Federal Highway Administration variant.  However, the G26 shield series appears to have been killed off on January 18, 2026, when Caltrans updated their Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices.  This blog will examine the history of the US Route shield specifications in California and what is happening with the 2026 changes.  The blog cover photo is facing towards the terminus of California State Route 136 and at a G26-2 specification US Route 395 shield.  In the background Mount Whitney can be seen in the Sierra Nevada range.   ...
2 comments
Read more

May 2023 Ontario Trip (Part 3 of 3)

By
  Over the years, I have made plenty of trips to Ontario, crisscrossing the southern, central and eastern parts of the province. Living in Upstate New York, it's pretty easy to visit our neighbor to the north, or is that our neighbor to the west? Ottawa is one of my favorite cities to visit anywhere in the world, plus I've discovered the charm of Kingston, the waterfalls of Hamilton (which is on the same Niagara Escarpment that brings us Niagara Falls), the sheer beauty of the Bruce Peninsula, and more. But I hadn't explored much of Cottage Country. So I decided to change that, and what better time to go than over Memorial Day weekend, when the daylight is long and I have an extra day to explore. On the third and final day of my trip, I started in Huntsville and made my way through Muskoka District and Haliburton County, passing by many lakes along the way. I stopped in towns such as Dorset, Haliburton and Bancroft before making a beeline down to Belleville and then over th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Abandoned Fowler Avenue in Clovis, California

By
Originally Fowler Avenue in the city of Clovis had a brief discontinuation approaching Herndon Avenue.  Fowler Avenue traffic heading northbound was required to detour briefly onto westbound Herndon Avenue.  During 2001 this discontinuation was removed when Fowler Avenue was reconfigured to access the Sierra Freeway (California State Route 168) via an interchange.  This led to a segment of the original alignment of Fowler Avenue just south of Herndon Avenue to be abandoned.  Despite a shopping center opening over part of the original Fowler Avenue alignment in 2016 much of the abandoned roadway remains.   The history of the abandoned original alignment of Fowler Avenue in Clovis The original alignment of California State Route 168 departed downtown Clovis eastbound along Tollhouse Road.  This original alignment did not interact with Fowler Avenue at the Herndon Avenue intersection.  Fowler Avenue north of Tollhouse Road ran north to Herndon Avenue...
Post a Comment
Read more