After 7 years, it appears De Anza Way will be open to traffic by the end of the year, according to Public Works Director William Via. He made the announcement at the Feb. 4 meeting of the Los Banos City Council.
The Council was also updated on the Pioneer Road project, officially met the interim human resources director, approved construction of 30 homes and issued an alcohol permit.
The intersection of De Anza Way and State Route 165 initially opened in 2019, but was quickly closed by Caltrans because it did not meet the state’s design standards. The new design — which will be submitted to Caltrans by March — includes a “porkchop” median and a turning shoulder onto SR-165 for northbound traffic. Via said only right turns will be allowed since there won’t be enough room to accommodate southbound turns.
The Pioneer Road project was approved in 2021, but won’t be finished until 2045. It creates a southern loop around the city, extending south of SR-152 east of Los Banos Creek. It will eventually extend Pioneer from its dead-end at SR-165 to Ward Road.
The biggest change, said city manager Nirorn Than, is that the extension south from SR-152 has been moved to the next phase of the project.
The first phase, upgrading the intersection at Ortigalita and Pioneer roads, is almost complete. Construction began in 2025 at a cost of $6.67 million. The total project, Than said, will cost “close to $150 million.”
“I don’t know if I’ll be driving (then),” joked councilmember Debrorah Lewis. “So, I may not get to enjoy this. Maybe (councilmember) Mitzy (Perez) will be.”
Isabel Carlos is the new interim HR Director, replacing Lucy Mallonee, who retired in January.
“She brings over 20 years of responsible municipal management experience with 10 of those years at the executive level,” said Than. Carlos graduated from Cal Poly Pomona and got her master’s from the University of Redlands
In her first report, Carlos told the council that there have been four new hires since their last meeting.
“The HR team has been busy with business as usual, helping to manage our very talented city team,” she said.
The 30 single-family homes are part of the Stonecreek Area Plan, said Community and Economic Development Director Stacy Elms, and they will be built where Cardoza Road dead ends. The 30 new homes are among the 1,868 approved by the city council in 2004. Of those, 1,311 have been built so far. When the project is completed, Cardoza Road will connect with Mariposa Drive.
The new houses will range from 5,050 to 10,985 square feet. Mayor Michael Amabile, Lewis, Perez and Marcus Chavez voted for the plan, which passed 4-0.
The council also approved a request from D Pho restaurant on East Pacheco to sell beer and wine.
Mayor Amabile issued two proclamations, the first to recognize Four Chaplain’s Day in commemoration of the four Army chaplains aboard the USAT Dorchester who gave up their life vests so that others could survive in the North Atlantic in 1943. The four linked arms and prayed as the ship sank after being torpedoed. The other proclamation was to honor Stuart McCullough, who recently won a world championship in duck calling.
