Coachella’s long-awaited Avenue 50 bridge gets $48.7M green light
COACHELLA, Calif. (KESQ) — The Coachella City Council voted to award a $48,709,821.10 construction contract to Riverside Construction Company Inc. to build the Avenue 50 Bridge. The infrastructure project will replace the existing Avenue 50 low-water crossing over the Coachella Valley Stormwater Channel.
The bridge project will move forward without requiring any allocations from the city’s general fund, with funding supplied through the Highway Bridge Program, the Coachella Valley Association of Governments, Measure A, Senate Bill 1 funds and local water funds.
Total construction costs, including a 10% contingency of $4,870,982.10, came in approximately $7 million under the city’s original budget estimate.
The new bridge will span the channel to eliminate regular flooding and address deteriorating asphalt conditions at the low-water crossing.
Phase one of the project includes realigning Tyler Street and shifting the CV Link trail beneath the new structure, with a temporary reconnection to the existing signalized intersection at Highway 86. A planned second phase will eventually construct a full interchange at Highway 86 and Avenue 50.
The city first received federal bridge funding authorization for the project in 2014 and completed the environmental review phase in 2019. The subsequent right-of-way acquisition and design phase faced delays due to eminent domain proceedings, coordination with tribal and regional entities and disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The city issued a notice inviting bids on July 9, held a mandatory job walk on July 28 and opened public bids on Sept. 3. Seven companies submitted bids for the contract. Including $7.9 million in construction management fees, the total project cost stands at $61,551,444.
Primary funding includes approximately $49 million in state bridge funds and nearly $9.5 million from the Coachella Valley Association of Governments.
Local costs are covered by $1.6 million from Measure A and $1.73 million from SB 1 revenue, which city leaders intentionally set aside over multiple years to protect general fund reserves.
During the City Council meeting Monday, Mayor Dr. Frank Figueroa praised municipal staff and regional partners for securing non-general-fund financing to move the project into construction.
“This is a big win for the city of Coachella and we should all be very proud,” Figueroa said. “This is a massive project for the city, Coachella and I can't wait to do the groundbreaking.”
Groundbreaking for the Avenue 50 Bridge project is scheduled for Oct. 15.
Stay with News Channel 3 tonight for more information at 4:30, 5 and 6 p.m.
