Cathedral Canyon Drive reopens at the wash

Cathedral Canyon Drive in Cathedral City reopened to traffic Thursday morning.

City crews removed barricades allowing for traffic to use one lane in both the northbound and southbound directions at 6:30 a.m. Thursday.

The roadway was shut down February 14th, due to extreme flooding through the Whitewater Wash as a result of the historic Valentine’s Day rain storm.

Damage to the roadway was estimated at $1.2 million.

The last update about the road repairs’ status was issued on February 19, while the road was still fractured and the timeline for reopening was indefinite.

“In an effort to open the road on either Monday or Tuesday of next week, Cathedral Canyon Drive at the wash will be reduced to one lane in each direction,” read the city’s news release. “Cathedral City plans to begin construction on a new, four-lane bridge over the wash in December 2019. The bridge will also include sidewalks and bike lanes in both directions.”

The damage wrought on the road extended beyond the asphalt; according to the release, the damage was also dealt to several underground electrical and fiber optic cables.

In the meantime, travelers are advised to continue to use Date Palm Drive.