CVAG searching for solutions to flooding and sand drift road closures

Following February’s record rainfall that devestated infrastructure, particularly in the west valley, the Coachella Valley Association of Goverments (CVAG) is renewing a call for solutions that would prevent the closure of major roadways due to flooding or blowing sand.

In a meeting Monday morning, the CVAG Transportation Committee, which is made up of a number officials from multiple cities, approved the recommendation requesting proposals that would provide near-term solutions to this problem.

“As we saw in the valentines day flooding, every road in the western part of the Coachella Valley was closed due to debris and flooding and those roads being washed out,” said Palm Springs assistant city manager Marcus Fuller. “We hadn’t seen it to that extent.”

Officials said when roads like N. Indian Canyon Dr. in Palm Springs close, it hits other cities too.

“It does affect the rest of the valley,” said Desert Hot Springs councilmember Gary Gardner. “When our traffic is backed up and we have to go all the way around to get in, it jams up everybody in Cathedral City, it jams up people in Palm Desert, it jams up people on the freeway.

He said closing Indian Canyon poses a major risk to neighboring cities who depend on it to access to Desert Regional Medical Center.

Analysis showed the wek before the February flood, the average ambulance transit time was under 21 minutes.

The week following the flood, it jumped up to nearly 33 minutes.

“It would have been quicker to fly people over with medivac,” Gardner said.

“(We’re) trying to find a short term solution so that we do not have individuals needing to get to a hospital or some other emergency and they’re on one side of the wash and the hospital is on the other,” said Palm Springs councilmember Lisa Middleton.

All-weather bridges have been pursued for Indian Canyon, but it would cost about $247 million. Federal funding was denied for the project — and city officials say they can’t come up with the money on their own.

Palm Springs was approved, however, for a $90 million bridge project on Vista Chino, which officials said would help alleviate some of that congestion.

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