Coachella city leaders have awarded Riverside Construction Company a nearly $49 million construction contract to replace the Avenue 50 low-water crossing with a bridge. Groundbreaking is scheduled for October 15, according to KESQ.
Council Approves the Construction Contract
The City Council approved the contract to replace the low-water crossing, according to NBC Palm Springs. Riverside Construction Company was selected after seven companies submitted bids, the report says.
The construction contract is part of a larger undertaking: the project is expected to cost about $61.5 million, including construction management, NBC Palm Springs reports. Funding comes from multiple sources.
Funding the Project
State bridge funds are expected to provide about $49 million toward construction, while the Coachella Valley Association of Governments is contributing nearly $9.5 million, according to KESQ. The city has also set aside local funds for the project over several years.
Those local dollars are intended to help pay for the bridge without drawing on the city's general fund, the report says.
What Is Known About the Crossing
The existing Avenue 50 low-water crossing can be affected by water and weather conditions, according to NBC Palm Springs. The project will replace it with a bridge.
What the Available Flood-Map Information Shows
The Coachella Valley Water District lists a 100-year inundation-depth map for the Coachella Valley Storm Channel among its eastern Coachella Valley flood-map resources. That listing does not establish the Avenue 50 crossing’s mapped status or identify a FEMA flood hazard zone there, so it does not determine what such a designation would mean for nearby residents or road access.
With the contract now awarded and a groundbreaking date locked in for next month, the project marks a significant step for a city that has spent years working toward a fix for one of its more persistent infrastructure headaches.
