Highway 111 reopened to traffic with storm repairs underway
A portion of Highway 111 reopened Sunday night, days after a powerful downpour washed away parts of the pavement and scattered debris across the roadway near Palm Springs.
Caltrans said one lane will open to traffic in each direction and cautioned drivers to “use extreme caution due to work crews and large equipment and trucks.”
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No timeline for when all the repairs would be completed has been released.
In all, $14 million in emergency contracts were awarded by Caltrans to repair roadways damaged by Thursday’s storm in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Highway 111 will be funded through a $3.5 million contract.
The two-lane highway runs between the Coachella and Imperial valleys, and a five-mile stretch in North Palm Springs between Interstate 10 and Gateway Drive was shut down while crews worked on it.
The National Weather Service expects more rain will fall in the region next week, though much of it will be limited to mountain areas.