Cathedral City rejects Palm Springs’ detour plan for upcoming CV Link underpass closure

Palm Springs officials were unable to persuade Cathedral City to support a Sarah Street detour around the upcoming Ramon Road bridge project, city staff told the Active Transportation Subcommittee on Monday, leaving cyclists facing a longer, more circuitous route during the two-year construction period.

The project will require a full closure of the CV Link underpass at Ramon Road, cutting off a key crossing for cyclists and pedestrians. At last month’s Active Transportation Subcommittee meeting, a city engineer explained why keeping the path open isn’t possible.

“There’s really no way to keep that crossing open during construction,” the engineer said. “We’re digging from one end of the channel to the other end of the channel. We’re going 23 feet down to do scour protection for the bridge.”

Cyclists who regularly use the route had hoped Sarah Street could provide a more direct connection between CV Link and Lawrence Crossley Road without sending riders through surrounding neighborhoods. But the street crosses private property, complicating efforts to use it as a detour.

Hoping to resolve the issue, the Palm Springs City Council on Oct. 28 requested a meeting with Cathedral City and the Coachella Valley Association of Governments, known as CVAG, to reconsider Sarah Street as an alternative to CVAG’s proposed detour.

At that meeting, Palm Springs officials argued that CVAG’s longer route would be confusing, particularly for visitors unfamiliar with the area.

“We were not met with the friendliest response to that, shall I say?” Assistant City Manager Flinn Fagg told the subcommittee Monday.

Cathedral City subsequently sent a letter formalizing its position. CVAG was more receptive to the city’s concerns, discussing improved directional signs and the use of CV Link’s distinctive orange and blue markings to help cyclists navigate the detour.

Detour alternatives

With Sarah Street apparently off the table, subcommittee member John Siegel outlined other ways to minimize disruptions, focusing on changes to the bridge construction schedule.

One option would delay removal of the CV Link underpass by a few weeks to preserve access during the busy tourist season. Current construction documents call for the crossing to remain open until late February or early March.

Siegel also suggested accelerating construction of a planned multi-use sidewalk on the south side of the bridge. The sidewalk, already included in the project plans, would connect to CV Link and could eliminate the need for a detour once completed.

CVAG is reviewing the alternatives submitted by subcommittee members.

Road diet lessons

Later in the meeting, subcommittee members brought up confusion and illegal parking that was happening along South Palm Canyon Road during the road diet re-striping.

One member pointed out that red curbs were painted last, he said, so “cars were parking in the bike lane because there’s no red on the curb.”

Staff said the paving and painting are done by different contractors and that crews typically wait about 14 days for asphalt to settle. A water valve shortage also delayed utility adjustments, staff said.

Staff said they added red curb in areas not shown on the plans and will specify painting the curb red before bike lane striping in future projects. “That’s definitely a lesson learned right there,” a staff member said.

The remaining work is mostly green paint, which the contractor says is in short supply, staff said.

Subcommittee member Jim Flanagan, who rides northbound on Palm Canyon nearly every day, said the route is easier and less stressful than expected. “I know we didn’t get everything we wanted, but it’s a lot better than we thought it was going to be,” he said.

Call for bike counts

Flanagan further asked the city to count bicyclists on the new road diets so staff and the council can see year-over-year use. He said counts from Portland show why they matter: “It’s a great way to show people that yeah, we’re giving something up, but we’re getting all this back.”

Sustainability Director Jasmine Fields said the city has no historic bike count data and does not regularly count. She said the city typically hires a company for counts tied to specific projects.

Another member suggested adding counters to the Comprehensive Safety Action Plan (CSAP) and raising the idea with CVAG. Staff said CVAG is testing traffic signal cameras that can count bikes, but reliable data is probably years away.

The safety plan is funded by a $900,000 federal Safe Streets for All grant. Consultants are working on a public engagement plan, and staff expect a draft by the end of the month. Staff hope to finalize it by around January. The committee will review the schedule before it is final, then publicize the dates.

Racquet Club Road comments

Bob Farran, chair of the Racquet Club West neighborhood, submitted a written comment criticizing consultants working on the Racquet Club road diet. Farran wrote that the shortened turn lane into the Racquet Club shopping center is leading to more cars idling, and making it more difficult to turn, “These businesses already struggle, and we do not want to see more empty buildings in the area,” the chair wrote.

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