Frequent Flooding Frustrates Locals

Backed up roads have left some local drivers frustrated, affecting both residents and businesses who use them on their daily commute. 

Streets like Ramon Road are busy to begin with, but when rain or wind hits the area, these streets tend to flood causing frustration for drivers and business owners.

“I’ve been helping my father for 20 years and it’s been this bad since I remember. So nothing has changed. It’s just getting worse.” says Rolando Lomeli, the General Manager of Boy’s Hamburgers.

When it rains here in the Coachella Valley, it pours. Leaving streets packed with frustrated drivers.

“Traffic was very backed up, it was very busy… but I’m talking from seven in the morning to about six in the afternoon. It was very bad and very congested.” Lomeli states.

Larger and more populated streets get closed off from weather disruptions, causing alternative streets to be the only form of transportation.

Local businesses in impacted areas are also being hit hard.

“Business… quite dearly. People see the line, they don’t want to come in and stop by… phone orders, just a couple phone orders but it was pretty slow. Last couple of days because there was traffic.” 

Other businesses have similar issues, with workers being late from the unexpected traffic.

“It gets pretty bad. You know, you try to time as best as possible that you’re gonna get here on time for work and it’s unexpected because everyone is using Ramon Road.” says Ivette Siordia, the Manager of Dank Depot.

Locals are now demanding change, new and improved roads to help prevent these traffic jams.

“Build the bridge. On Vista Chino, that would help a lot because you have two roads that are closed and it just kills Ramon Road and Highway 111.” says Lomeli.

“I think they definitely need to build some kind of bridge so they don’t have all these floods.. It keeps happening.” Siordia states.

That change could be seen soon. In a statement by the Coachella Valley Association of Governments, Executive Director, the organization said in part, “In September of 2022 the Coachella Valley Association of Governments Executive Committee authorized a nearly $4.5 million contract to complete the necessary design and environmental work.”

Although many think it has taken much too long, they’re hopeful.

Now they also say that more progress has been made on addressing this issue in the last three years than in the last three decades.