California promises $50 million for bridges to reduce Indian Canyon closures

Plans to build bridges on Indian Canyon Drive on the Whitewater Wash in Palm Springs received a major shot in the arm Thursday when a state agency gave final approval for the state to provide $50 million in funding to construct the bridges.

The grant would provide two-thirds of the estimated $75 million cost of building the bridges, which officials say will reduce the need for frequent closures of the road through the wash because of flooding and heavy winds. A Coachella Valley Association of Governments spokesperson has said the remainder of the cost would be paid for with “local and regional transportation funding.”

The grant is being provided as part of a new climate adaption program that will provide just over $300 million in funding for projects aimed at improving the resiliency and adaptability of infrastructure in the state to climate-related challenges. Fifteen of the 22 projects for which the state received applications were approved for funding,

CVAG has said the project will involve the creation of two "all-weather" bridges at low points over the wash that the agency says will be designed to withstand 100-year flood events. The bridges will be constructed with fencing that also will be designed to protect the roadway from sand accumulation resulting from wind.

An elevated path for use by pedestrians, bikes and low-speed electric vehicles also will be built along the portion of Indian Canyon that travels through the wash, which currently lacks a sidewalk. A solar shaded pathway will be built over that path. The path will connect to the CV link and provide pedestrian access to Palm Springs' Amtrak station, which is located off Indian Canyon Drive south of the interstate.

Flooding and blowing-sand related closures have long been an issue on Indian Canyon Drive and keep the portion of the roadway that travels through the wash closed for dozens of days each year. The problem has been particularly bad recently: CVAG has reported the road was closed for 38 days in just the first half of this year.

The problem was underscored in August when Tropical Storm Hilary deposited several feet of sand on the roadway while doing significant structural damage to it, including washing out a section. The roadway had to be closed for about six weeks while repairs costing about half a million dollars were made.

The closures are particularly challenging to residents of the western Coachella Valley because the route is one of just four direct routes for traveling between central Palm Springs and Interstate 10 and points to the north, notably Desert Hot Springs which has become cut off from surrounding cities during particularly severe weather events. Indian Canyon and the other two routes to the east all travel through the wash and frequently close at the same, leaving Highway 111 as the only north-south route connecting Palm Springs to the interstate.

Indian Canyon Drive has long been considered a particularly important route because it is the fastest route between Desert Hot Springs and Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, the only hospital in the western Coachella Valley.

“This is about saving lives; especially when there is an emergency that shuts the road down for a prolonged period of time like we recently experienced with Tropical Storm Hilary,” Palm Springs Mayor Grace Garner said in a press release announcing the awarding of the grant. “On behalf of our residents, we are deeply thankful to the California Transportation Commission for recognizing that this is a life and death issue.”

While the Coachella Valley Association of Governments has been looking into solutions to the flooding and wind issues for years, prohibitively high costs and the wash’s status as a protected habitat for an endangered beetle had long loomed as major obstacles.

However, Palm Springs City Councilmember Lisa Middleton said in January that the effort had taken a major step forward that pre-fabricated bridges, which are significantly cheaper than other types the city had considered, were a possible solution.

The city submitted an application for the state transportation grant in July. But local officials, including Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs city councilmembers, intensified their push for funding in the wake of Hilary, which saw Gov. Gavin Newsom visit Palm Springs as the city was making final preparations for the storm. The state announced in November that the project was one of 15 state transportation staff were recommending for funding.

In September, CVAG contracted with the Palm Desert design firm Michael Baker International to do design work for the bridges and other valley projects aimed at addressing the impact of sand and wind. On Monday, CVAG’s executive and transportation committee approved a $2.5 million amendment to the contract to do additional design work related to the path which had not been part of the initial contract.

The total amount of that contract is now $7.8 million. CVAG has said construction is currently planned to occur in 2025 and 2026.

CVAG also previously secured $95 million to fund a bridge over the wash on Vista Chino, which provides the main northern connection between Palm Springs and Cathedral City.

Paul Albani-Burgio covers growth, development and business in the Coachella Valley. Follow him on Twitter at @albaniburgiop and email him at paul.albani-burgio@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: California OK's $50M for bridges to reduce Palm Springs road closures