Winter weather shuts down roads, makes potholes

Several roadways that intersect with the Whitewater Wash were shut down on Thursday but that didn’t stop some drivers from breaking the law and driving around barricades.

News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2 reporter Joe Galli confronted one driver who ignored the warnings and traveled down Indian Canyon when the road was shut down due to flooding.

The driver, who said his name was Andrew and said he was traveling from Texas. Andrew said didn’t notice the signs that block each lane on the street. Andrew was pretty lucky. By the time he chose to roll the dice with his truck, the water had significantly subsided. If he had gotten caught by the Palm Springs Police Department, Andrew would have had to paid a hefty fine.

“I have never been to Palm Springs so it’s interesting to see. It’s not so bad,” said Andrew before barely squeezing out the side of the north end of the closure and off to Interstate 10.

This closure was a headache for many drivers and even emergency personnel who were trying to get a patient to the hospital.
Along with Indian Canyon, Araby Drive in Palm Springs and Catherdral Canyon in Cathedral City were also closed at the wash.

Also in Cathedral City, potholes formed on Dinah Shore just east of Date Palm. They were large enough to do damage to a vehicle’s tires and rims. Some drivers looking to play in the desert for their Christmas traditions were well on the road to holiday fun.

“It has been not bad except like, as soon as I hit the 10 it starts raining with a lot of traffic for the holidays,” said Ruben Olivares, who was traveling from Sacramento to Mexicali with his family. The back of their truck was loaded with ATVs and dirt bikes.

If you want to beat the rain for holiday travel, the best bet is to leave early tomorrow before round two of the winter storms strikes Southern California.