The city is, at long last, nearing the final approval stages for some major improvements to the intersection of Highway 33 and M Street.

It’s one of the city’s most hair-raising traffic spots, both for vehicles and pedestrians, and we can’t wait to see a traffic light installed and the intersection realigned.

Recent news about the project got us thinking about other roadwork we’d like to see done. Here’s our wish list for future projects, offered with the full understanding that some might be years away at best, and impossible at worst.

In no particular order:

• Widen Ward Avenue to four lanes from Highway 33 to Sperry Avenue, and make the speed limit faster than 25 mph, except in the area of Patterson High School. Ward is already a major road in town, and that will only increase as the city grows. Plus, trying to stay at 25 mph there can be torturous.

• Add turn lanes at the intersection of Ward Avenue and M Street-American Eagle Avenue. This intersection has become a nightmare, especially in the morning, when parents rush their kids to one of the three nearby schools. Left- and right-turn lanes in each direction would help.

• Make Sperry Avenue four lanes all the way from Interstate 5 to Highway 33. This seems like a no-brainer for what might be the city’s most-used road. Adding lanes could also help alleviate another problem spot that would have made our list on its own — the intersection of Sperry and South Del Puerto avenues, which is absolutely begging for a left-turn lane.

• Add a right-turn lane for those heading north on Ward Avenue and turning right onto Las Palmas Avenue. It’s an awkward turn that doesn’t feel particularly safe for drivers or pedestrians.

• Do something about excessive speeds in western Patterson. Our first two suggestions: Give Heartland Ranch some roundabouts, and throw a couple of speed humps in front of Apricot Valley Elementary school, especially on Shearwater Drive.

Those are just the first several that came to our minds — we’re sure there are many others. Hopefully, some of these can be handled soon or in the future by our city planners and government.