Monroe Street interchange project delayed again, supervisors push deadline back another year

The project is still moving forward, but don’t expect shovels in the ground anytime soon. (Renderings: city of Indio)

Construction on the Monroe Street Interchange will not begin this year, forcing county officials to extend their deadlines once more.

Riverside County Supervisors voted 4-0 Tuesday to update a contract which required construction to begin by the end of this year. Since shovels won’t be in the ground anytime in the next few weeks, supervisors were forced to extend the deadline to the end of next year.

Part of the delay comes down to land. The county is currently finalizing the acquisition of two private parcels needed to widen the ramps and bridge approaches. Until a judge makes the acquisition final, Caltrans will not certify the project for construction.

Tuesday’s vote keeps funding agreements active, buying time for the county to resolve existing hurdles.

Original agreements to study the interchange date back to 2007. Over nearly two decades, costs have risen 150%, with the total price tag now estimated at $175 million.

However, the city will not foot the full bill. After accounting for roughly $57 million in state and federal grants, Indio and the Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG) will split the remaining $117 million tab. Under the agreement, Indio is responsible for 25% of that local balance, or approximately $29 million.

Design work is nearly complete. The proposed “Tight Diamond” layout features compressed ramps to minimize land use, updated signal timing, and a bridge accommodating the CV Link path.

Pending the land acquisition, the county plans to seek construction bids next fall with no estimate yet on groundbreaking.