CV Link loses more than $24 million in grant money due to application error

An error on a state application has cost the Coachella Valley Association of Government more than $24 million in grant funds for the CV Link, according to information released by CVAG on Monday.

The CV Link is estimated to cost $100 million. Officials with CVAG said they have raised nearly $76 million, and this grant money would have finalized the money needed to fund the project.

According to a statement from CVAG Spokesperson Erica Felci, “It has come to the attention of CVAG and the California Transportation Commission that [the] 2017 Active Transportation Program application submitted for CV Link was incorrectly scored. CVAG has worked closely with the CTC staff on this matter. The result was a slight change in the application’s score. Due to the extremely competitive nature of this program, it also resulted in CTC staff no longer recommending CV Link in the initial round of funding.”

Felci said that CVAG staff has great respect for the CTC and its staff, and has concurred with the new application score. And even with the revised score, the CV Link application remains one of the most competitive ATP (Active Transportation Projects) in Riverside County.

Regional officials will recommend in January if CV Link will be in contention for the second round of funding, a move that CVAG staff anticipates to be very likely.

However, this new information won’t delay CV Link construction plans. Officials said the ATP funds from this cycle aren’t available for use until at least 2019; two years after the anticipated groundbreaking of CV Link.

According to Felci’s statement, CVAG staff is hopeful for the next round of funding decisions, and remains committed to securing funds for safe routes for pedestrians and cyclists across the Coachella Valley.

CVAG has stated that they hoped to break ground on the project in 2017.