Business View Magazine | December 2019

283 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2019 MODESTO, CAL I FORNI A section, where there’s a mountain range over into the Silicon Valley. And it’s highly congested with passenger cars and big rig traffic in the movement of goods.” So, in addition to the ACE train, which is passenger-specific into Modesto, the city just had a huge ground-breaking celebration for the expansion of State Route 132. One of the largest transportation infrastructure projects in Modesto, it is a $100 million investment to increase capacity on an important highway that connects truck and passenger vehicles to the Bay Area. “It’s going to take several years,” says Reeves. “It’s a massive project, but we’re really excited about it. When this first phase and future phases are completed, it will expand future capacity on the freeway for this heavily-used section.” The City of Modesto turns 150 years young in 2020, and events are being planned throughout the year to celebrate the milestone. And while safe space to wait for the train or other public transportation modes that service the station, such as the MAX bus. Not only will it vastly improve efficiency of the boarding system, it will make the downtown area more inviting, as well. Congestion is a big issue in and around Modesto. According to the city’s Media Relations Officer, Thomas Reeves, “Highways from this part of the state over to the Bay Area are the most congested in the country. So, we have a pretty robust commuter and passenger rail network. We also have AMTRAK and ACE that take commuters and leisure travelers from this neck of the woods to the Bay Area – the Silicon Valley being a major hub for employment. But it’s also a lot more expensive to live there, so folks choose to live here in Modesto and commute over the hill, and that’s why we have major congestion on the freeways. It’s also a major truck traffic area. So, when you add the rail network for passengers, you still really have only one major thoroughfare from this part of the state across the middle