Beginning July 11, North Tegner Road with be permanently closed at West Taylor Road and become a cul-de-sac.
The closure comes more than 14 years after the Turlock City Council originally approved the road closure on Feb. 22, 2000; the closure of Colorado Avenue and Crowell Road at the Turlock Irrigation District Lateral No. 3 crossing were approved at the same time.
While both Colorado Avenue and Crowell Road have been closed at Taylor Road for several years, work on North Tegner Road had never begun.
On Sept. 13, 2011, Turlock City Council reaffirmed the 2000 resolution and decided to move forward with the closure.
The report from the 2011 City Council meeting said that the single-lane bridge that connected North Tegner and Taylor roads was problematic and caused delays while drivers were forced to “wait their turn” while turning onto and from Tegner Road. The report also said that the bridge could lead to accidents on Taylor Road if drivers did not notice a vehicle in front of them stopped while waiting to use the bridge.
Those traveling in the area will now have to take Atherstone Road and Golden State Boulevard to get to Taylor Road.
However, traffic is not the only thing to be affected by the closure. A landscaped park strip with sidewalk will create a cul-de-sac at the end of North Tegner Road. The bike path that runs parallel to Taylor Road — and ends at Tegner Road — is also expected to be extended west.
Funds for the closure and landscape development are expected to come from unused North Turlock Master Plan fees, according to the 2011 report. No General Fund money is expected to be used on the project. The cost of the project is not stated in the report.
