Avoid Monterey: Palm Desert's Busiest Road Just Got a Lot Busier

It's time for another Know Before You Go, our weekly look at the road work shaping your commute around the Coachella Valley. CV Sync Traffic Program Manager Kris Gunterson joined us in studio this morning, and he says the biggest project to watch starts today in Palm Desert.

Palm Desert: Monterey Avenue Pavement Rehabilitation

Crews start work today on Monterey Avenue, and Gunterson says this one will be felt for months. The project stretches from the I-10 freeway overpass down to Gerald Ford Drive, running right past the Costco and Walmart shopping center, and it isn't expected to wrap up until October.

Work will hit the pavement, sidewalks, curbs, traffic signals, and intersections along that stretch as crews rehab the asphalt, repair curbs and sidewalks, upgrade traffic signal infrastructure, and add safety improvements at intersections. Gunterson says most of the early work will focus on the northbound side.

If you can avoid Monterey Avenue between now and October, do it, Gunterson says. Drivers looking for an alternate route can use Cook Street or Bob Hope Drive instead.

Palm Springs: Tahquitz Canyon Paving Project

In Palm Springs, paving is done on the stretch of Tahquitz Canyon Way between Sunrise Way and Indian Canyon Drive, but the work isn't finished. Gunterson says the contractor moves to raising utility covers this week, so drivers should expect intermittent lane closures along that section.

Drivers hoping to skip the slowdown can take Amado Road to the north or Ramon Road to the south, Gunterson says.

Looking ahead, the eastern stretch of Tahquitz Canyon Way, from Sunrise Way to El Cielo Road, is set to start sometime in the middle of August, though Gunterson says he'll have firmer dates as that gets closer.

Safety Tip of the Week

Our safety tip this week is for drivers sharing the road with cyclists. State law requires drivers to give a cyclist at least three feet of space when passing, Gunterson says, whether they're in a bike lane or riding on the roadway. That distance matters even when cyclists ride in groups, or platoons, so Gunterson asks cyclists to stay in the bike lane and drivers to give them their space.

For more on these projects and other road work around the Valley, head to cv-sync.com