Residents, locals discuss impacts of roadwork in La Quinta
Kendall Flynn
LA QUINTA, Calif. (KESQ) – Highway 111 is getting a roadway improvement in La Quinta through a $7 million project. The City said the project was delayed multiple times waiting for federal funding, but now they are anticipating an early end to the project in mid-September.
The roadwork is needed in the area after residents originally faced bumpy roads, pot holes and more. However, its causing long travel days for locals on their daily commute as lanes are closed, traffic lights are off and four-way stops are in place.
Many of the intersections along Highway 111 between Washington Street to Jefferson Street commuters cannot turn left onto side streets because of the inner lanes closure. But locals said they’ve seen drivers turn anyways, causing traffic, road rage and sometimes nearly accidents.
Lana Clyde is an Indio resident, but takes the 111 through La Quinta daily, especially during the school year. She said she’s worried about safety and traffic once school starts in a few days.
“Yesterday we had somebody stopped in the middle of the road. Nobody can turn until she moved out of the way, but she had to wait for the other,” Clyde said. “It’s just kind of a scary thing, especially with children.”
The City of La Quinta said it’s taking steps to find solutions for parents ahead of the school year. City officials will be meeting with Desert Sands Unified School District to make alternate route maps for parents.
The City has also been working to decrease construction impacts by crews only working at night. The schedule change minimizes driver impacts and keeps crews safe in the heat. They will also start Saturday construction schedules Aug. 9 for extra hours, working toward the mid- September end date.
Stay with News Channel 3 to hear from residents about the construction impacts.
The City of La Quinta said all residents and Valley locals can receive updates through text messaging, emails or through the city website.
