Stanislaus County residents should prepare for a highway project affecting travel this weekend.
Caltrans will close a section of southbound Interstate 5 near Vernalis from Friday night through early Monday. This closure will likely cause delays on roads in western Stanislaus County and westbound Highway 132, west of Modesto.
The southbound lanes of I-5 will be shut down from 9 p.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Monday to allow crews to work on the Ingram Creek Road interchange near Westley. They will be reconstructing the aging bridge deck, which will also close Ingram Creek Road beneath the freeway overpass.
Drivers on westbound Highway 132 coming from Modesto should expect delays, as access to southbound I-5 will be unavailable. Caltrans suggests using Highway 120 through Manteca as an alternative route to the Bay Area.
A detour will redirect southbound I-5 traffic onto Highway 33 near Vernalis. Drivers will head south on Highway 33 through Westley, then turn onto Rogers Road and finally onto Sperry Road in Patterson to rejoin southbound I-5.
Detour-related delays of 30 minutes or more are expected.
During the 55-hour project, eastbound I-580 traffic heading toward the southbound I-5 junction will be diverted off I-5 at the Ingram Creek Road exit. A temporary single-lane system will be in place for drivers to continue.
Caltrans is using portable message signs to inform the public about detours and delays. Updates can also be found on the Caltrans District 10 Facebook page.