Road Contruction Shuts Down Interstate 10 Through Coachella Valley

Overnight closures are planned on Interstate 10 north of Palm Springs for three nights, beginning tonight, as crews work on an overcrossing.

The eastbound portion of the freeway at the Gene Autry Trail/Palm Drive overpass will be closed starting at 6, and remained closed until 5 a.m. Wednesday. Two lanes will be closed initially, with a full eastbound closure starting at 8, Palm Springs police Officer Rhonda Long said.

The westbound portion of the freeway will be closed overnight on Wednesday and Thursday, from 7 p.m. until 5 a.m., she said.

Drivers will exit at Gene Autry Trail/Palm Drive and continue through the light back onto the freeway, superseding the overpass.

Workers are set to remove falsework — temporary structures used to support the bridge — as part of the Coachella Valley Corridor Improvement Project to upgrade six freeway overpasses along I-10.

The Gene Autry/Palm Drive overcrossing will be replaced with a six-lane road that includes two bike lanes on each side and realigned on- and off-ramps, according to the project’s website. It is scheduled to be completed in March 2012.