Ramon Road to Receive Major Overhaul this Summer

A heavily traveled stretch of Ramon Road between Date Palm Drive and Landau Boulevard will receive a major overhaul this summer.

Work begins this week on widening the road to three lanes in each direction with new pavement, and sidewalk and drainage improvements.

Cathedral City officials met with business owners along Ramon Road Monday handing out an informational sheet that indicates construction will begin Wednesday, May 22nd, and will take place over a period of 18 weeks.

Motorists say the road repair is long overdue, but business owners have some concerns about challenging times ahead.

Jesus Luna has lived in Cathedral City for 28 years, and he can’t remember a time when Ramon Road wasn’t a bumpy ride.

“I try to avoid Ramon Road,” Luna said. “I do. The reason is the bumps …You feel it.”

Businesses owners we spoke with along Ramon Road are happy the road is being fixed. They’ll be even happier when it’s finished in September.

“We need it,” Guatemala Grill Manager George Polanco said. “The road is bad. We need something new for the city.”

Nearly every business in the desert slows down in the summer. Now with traffic set to slow down on the popular thoroughfare, some businesses are concerned this summer will be especially challenging.

“The summertime is already hard enough as it is,” says Boy’s Hamburgers Manager, Orlando Lomeli. “With that, it creates more traffic and less people want to come in. People get very impatient in the traffic, so it does hurt a little more.”

At Don and Sweet Sue’s Cafe, they’re happy the snowbirds who spend money during season won’t be effected. They say locals are more likely to find their way around the traffic hassles.

“Summertime is always challenging anyhow, Don & Sweet Sue’s General Manager. Tim Atcheson said. “For us, we’re prepared for summer every year. This is just a little extra bump in the road, you might say.”

Cathedral City says every effort will be made to keep access to businesses open at all times, but there may be times when a driveway or cross street may be temporarily inaccessible.

Cathedral City has set up an e-mail account and a phone line for residents with questions or concerns about the Ramon Road widening and rehabilitation. Call (760) 202-2464 or e-mail, ramonrd@cathedralcity.gov.