Traffic update: Wash roads back open in Palm Springs, but more wind expected
If you are in Palm Springs and looking to have a relatively pain-free trip to, say, pretty much anywhere else, now's your chance.
The city announced Thursday morning that often-closed sections of three major roads through the Whitewater Wash are back open after closures Wednesday afternoon due to blowing sand that reduced visibility to nearly zero in areas.
The reopened roads are:
North Indian Drive between Sunrise Parkway and Train Station Road
Gene Autry Trail between Via Escuela and Interstate 10
East Vista Chino between Gene Autry Trail and the Cathedral City limits
Those reopenings mean drivers can now go between the northern part of Palm Springs and Interstate 10, Desert Hot Springs and Cathedral City and just about everywhere else without having to take lengthy detours via southern thoroughfares such as Ramon Road, often leading to traffic jams on them. The need for those detours has become common in recent weeks, as the roads have been frequently closed.
The blowing sand was caused by winds that reached 35 mph, with gusts of 55 mph, in Whitewater Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. Winds were slower at the airport, reaching 26 mph with gusts of 36 mph. Although the winds are expected to calm some in much of the valley Thursday, they could still be high in the northern areas that include the reopened road stretches.
Winds of 20 to 30 mph and gusts of 45 mph are forecasted for Whitewater Thursday but are gradually expected to lessen overnight and into Friday. At the airport, wind speeds are expected to be in the 10 to 15 mph range, with 20 mph gusts. However, the forecast for Whitewater is often more representative of what can be expected along the Whitewater Wash in Palm Springs because of the wash's proximity to the opening of San Gorgornio Pass.
The National Weather Service forecast for the weekend, meanwhile, calls for only light winds in both areas along with mostly clear skies for the next several days starting Saturday.
That will likely be a welcome development for Palm Springs residents who have to deal with the repeated closures that have resulted from weeks of relatively wet and windy weather. The high could also reach 80 degrees on both Saturday and Sunday, before dropping into the high 60s to start the next work week.
Paul Albani-Burgio covers breaking news and the City of Palm Springs. Follow him on Twitter at @albaniburgiop and via email at paul.albani-burgio@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: The Palm Springs wash roads are back open, but more wind is expected Thursday
