The project was first envisioned in 2000, upon the conveyance of Rough & Ready Island from the Navy to the Port of Stockton. A planning document was developed and then released in February 2001, identifying Daggett Road as a possible secondary entrance to the port that at the time had only one entry point, which was determined to be insufficient to support the commercial purposes of the growing port.
The expressway project broke ground in July 2005 and was completed in less than two years. Financed entirely with port monies, which included a partial grant from the Economic Development Dept., the expressway consists of a newly constructed four-lane bridge and a rehabilitated old gravel farm tract called Daggett Road.
The single span concrete bridge was planned in an area where its construction would not affect port tenants, neighboring communities, flow of traffic and normal port operations. Additionally, the construction was designed to eliminate any need to work in the water and to eliminate environmental concerns.
The Port of Stockton Expressway, built to modern truck standards and to accommodate the larger trucks of the future, provides a direct link to Highway 4, thereby diverting port tenant and truck traffic from Washington Street, Navy Drive and the surrounding communities, such as Boggs Tract. Plans are to have the expressway become the main entrance to the entire port.
'We anticipate truck traffic on Washington Street to decline significantly as the West Complex matures,' said Port Director Richard Aschieris. 'Along with alleviating noise and exhaust from heavy truck traffic in the surrounding residential neighborhood, the new Port of Stockton Expressway, as its name implies, will enable the port to expedite the movement of cargo through the port faster and more efficiently.'
The Port of Stockton is a deep-water port located 75 nautical miles east of San Francisco Bay at the confluence of the San Joaquin River and the Stockton Ship Channel, within 1.5 miles of Interstate 5. The entire Port area includes more than 2,000 cumulative acres of industrial properties, which is supported by 15,000 lineal feet of dock, more than seven million square feet of covered storage and serviced by the Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroads. The Port of Stockton continues to pursue its role as a niche port specializing in servicing break-bulk, dry and liquid bulks and other non-containerized cargos.
