What’s the status of $322 million in Palm Springs bridge projects? City engineer provides updates

Whether you rely on the city’s text message alerts, a Facebook group or local news, checking whether major roads such as Indian Canyon are actually open is a habitual first step for many Palm Springs commuters, especially during a rain or wind storm.  

And without massive feats of engineering, those road closures are expected to get even more frequent as climate change increases the frequency and intensity of extreme weather. 

A total of $322 million in bridge projects are currently underway throughout Palm Springs, some of them decades in the making. But the major infrastructure projects have struggled to keep up with initial timeline estimates amid rising construction costs and other factors. 

Most of the bridges are funded through a mix of federal funding and Measure A transportation sales tax funding allocated through the city and the Coachella Valley Association of Governments. 

The Post checked in with City Engineer Joel Montalvo for an update on all six projects — and when drivers can expect some relief from road closures. 

South Palm Canyon over Tahquitz Creek Channel

The existing bridge over Tahquitz Creek was built nearly a century ago and is now “outdated and structurally deficient” and “creates a bottleneck for traffic” according to the city of Palm Springs. 

The new bridge will replace the existing one “to address its outdated structure, safety concerns” and the traffic bottleneck, according to the city. The $14.1 million project includes traffic signal improvements along with new curbs, gutters and storm drains. 

Construction is already well underway and should be complete later this year, Montalvo wrote in an email to the Palm Springs Post. 

Ramon Road over the Whitewater Channel

The Ramon Road project will construct a new bridge over the Whitewater River with six lanes instead of the current four. The existing bridge no longer meets modern seismic standards, and the new bridge will include seismic retrofitting to prepare for major earthquakes as well as enhanced flood resilience. The project will also add new sidewalks and protected bike lanes. 

The new bridge will “significantly improve traffic flow, increase public safety, and enhance connectivity along one of the Coachella Valley’s busiest transportation corridors,” serving a roadway that sees more than 40,000 vehicles daily, according to the city of Palm Springs. 

A June 2024 update provided to the Palm Springs City Council anticipated that construction on the new bridge would start in late 2025, and a June 2026 press release from the city said construction would begin this fall. However, construction is now expected to begin in January 2027. 

“There is no delay,” wrote Montalvo in an email. “The process for obtaining federal funding is lengthy and involved.  We are unable to start construction until we meet all the requirements set by Caltrans.”

Vista Chino over Whitewater Channel

The Vista Chino Bridge will replace the current four-lane road that crosses Whitewater Channel (with frequent closures due to flooding after storms) with a new four-lane bridge. 

Back in June 2024, city staff noted that the cost of the project (first initiated in 2010) had increased significantly, from an estimated cost of $67 million to $113 million. Design revisions at the time brought the cost back down to $94 million, but “construction costs continue to increase,” according to Montalvo, and the current cost estimate is $165 million with those design revisions. Those revisions propose to save some money by building the bridge in one phase instead of two, reducing the proposed 10-foot median to six feet and making other design tweaks to the bridge’s structure. 

Construction was previously estimated to start sometime this year or next, but the start date is now late 2028, according to Montalvo. 

East Palm Canyon Drive over Palm Canyon Wash 

The $13.5 million Palm Canyon Drive project will again replace and widen an aging bridge, and will add road shoulders and sidewalks. 

Back in June 2024, construction was anticipated to start in late 2025. Instead, construction on the new bridge should now begin by the mid-2027, according to Montalvo. 

Indian Canyon Drive over Union Pacific Railroad 

One of the most anticipated infrastructure projects in Palm Springs is the Indian Canyon Drive bridge over the railroad crossing near the Palm Springs Amtrak Station, an area plagued by heavy blow sands (and the Amtrak station itself has at times experienced monthslong closures due to piled up sand). The project was first initiated in 2001. 

As of June 2024, the $48.6 million bridge project’s estimated completion date was April 2026. But as regular Indian Canyon Drive commuters can attest, the project is still far from complete. 

The new estimated completion date is April 2027, according to Montalvo. 

Reasons for the delay include “Tropical Storm Hilary, Fringe Toad Lizard protection during construction, Burrowing Owl Protection during construction, limited Union Pacific Railroad access to the train tracks, (and) unexpected conflicts with existing utility lines within Railroad right of way,” Montalvo said. 

Another reason for the delay is the very problem the bridge is trying to address: According to Montalvo, “severe blow sand accumulation throughout the project” has also contributed to the new timeline. 

The city is simultaneously working on a new 8,900-foot sewer pipeline along North Indian Canyon Drive as part of the bridge project, but that pipeline was factored into initial project costs and timeline and hasn’t impacted the project’s overall schedule. 

The pipeline is expected to be finished at the same time as the bridge. 

South Palm Canyon 

Still stuck in the pre-construction phase is the South Palm Canyon Drive Low Water Bridge, even though Palm Springs has spent nearly two decades pursuing a flood-control bridge and drainage project in the area. The project would replace an existing low-water crossing with an elevated roadway and reinforced drainage system, according to the city, and provide better reliability along the sole roadway serving the southern half of Palm Springs. 

Approximately half of the $9 million project cost is covered by the federal Highway Bridge Program, which allocated $4.5 million back in 2006. But those funds could expire if construction doesn’t begin by December, and a recent lawsuit filed by the Center for Biological Diversity could impact that timeline. 

Indian Canyon Drive Bridge

The sole CVAG-headed project on the list, the Indian Canyon Drive bridge over the wash is expected to cost around $74.9 million dollars and begin construction sometime next year. The project received a $50 million grant from the California Transportation Commission to help address climate change, emergencies and sandstorms on the major thoroughfare. 

The project will add two bridges at low-water crossings along Indian Canyon Drive, which should be more cost-effective than an earlier $250 million estimate to build a bridge for all of Indian Canyon Drive. The project also includes two miles of a shaded bike path, a wildlife undercrossing, and two miles of sand fencing. 

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