East Coachella Valley bike-pedestrian line awarded $36 million in state funding

Erin Rode, Palm Springs Desert Sun
·2 min read

A "transformative" bike and pedestrian line that would connect eastern Coachella Valley cities was awarded $36 million in state funding on Wednesday.

The Arts and Music Line, coordinated by the Coachella Valley Association of Governments, is planned to run along Avenue 48 through La Quinta, Indio and Coachella.

The California Transportation Commission approved $36.483 million in active transportation funding for the bike and pedestrian line at their Wednesday meeting, representing the largest single award announced for the Coachella Valley in the history of the state's Active Transportation Program. The Arts and Music Line is among 67 statewide projects that were awarded a total of $853.52 million through the state's 2023 Active Transportation Program.

Former Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation creating the program in 2013, with a goal of increasing "active transportation" such as biking and walking by increasing safety for bikers and pedestrians, funding active transportation projects, and achieving greenhouse gas emissions goals by increasing the proportion of trips made by biking and walking, rather than driving. Transportation makes up the largest share of California's greenhouse gas emissions.

$46 million bike-pedestrian line would connect east Coachella Valley to festival grounds

A map shows the planned route of a proposed arts and music line through Indio, La Quinta, and Coachella.
A map shows the planned route of a proposed arts and music line through Indio, La Quinta, and Coachella.

The Arts and Music Line will "reinvent how cyclists and pedestrians travel along Avenue 48 in the cities of La Quinta, Indio, and Coachella," according to CVAG. The 15-mile project will use bold colors, lighting and artwork to create "not only a safe and inviting route but also a destination in and of itself." The route will run from Washington Street in La Quinta through all three cities before ending at the Spotlight 29 casino just outside of Coachella.

The line will connect to CV Link and to the Empire Polo Club, home of the Coachella and Stagecoach festivals. CVAG also previously secured three Active Transportation Program awards totaling $22 million for the CV Link project.

The line has an estimated total cost of $46 million, and local and regional funding will cover the remaining cost, according to CVAG.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Bike-pedestrian line through Indio, Coachella, La Quinta gets funding