$36.48 million set to be awarded for CVLink extension through Coachella, Indio and La Quinta
The Coachella Valley Association of Governments, CVAG, announced Friday it's been recommended to receive $36.483 million from the state’s competitive Active Transportation Program to build an extension of the CV Link through the cities of La Quinta, Indio and Coachella.
The Arts and Music Line will reinvent how cyclists and pedestrians travel along Avenue 48, according to a CVAG news release Friday morning.
"We're going to find people commuting to and from work, we're going to find people that are coming from out of town that are like, hey, I want to go see this," says Bryan Newman, owner of Pedego La Quinta.
The Arts and Music Line is billed as a transformative bike and pedestrian project and is now poised to receive the largest single award announced for the Coachella Valley in the history of the state’s competitive Active Transportation Program, according to CVAG.
“This is a huge victory for the Coachella Valley," said Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez. He chairs CVAG’s Transportation and Executive Committees. “Our region has worked for years to make improvements in our biking and walking network, and we have been at the forefront of innovation. The Arts and Music Line will take the Coachella Valley’s active transportation network to a new level,” Hernandez added.
The 15-mile project will have two connections to the main CV Link pathway which is currently under construction and connect users to the Eldorado Polo Grounds where the annual Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals are held.
It will also feature bold color schemes, new lighting, and artwork to create safe and inviting alternative transportation options for people while being a destination in and of itself, according to CVAG.
The California Transportation Commission will give formal approval to the funding recommendation when they meet in Riverside on December 7 and 8.
The project was one of 67 statewide, receiving $853.52 million from the 2023 Active Transportation Program.
News Channel 3 has been reporting on the CV Link project for years.
Milestones were reached in March of last year in eastern Coachella Valley and in May in Palm Desert.
From March of 2022: CV Link groundbreaking in Palm Springs starts next phase of project
