New shopping center in Cathedral City fuels traffic concerns amid ongoing road construction
Luis Avila
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – Ongoing construction along East Palm Canyon Drive is causing delays and frustration for Cathedral City residents — just as new businesses in the Cathedral Cove Center begin to open their doors.
Both roadwork and development of the Cathedral Cove shopping center have created traffic bottlenecks along one of the city’s busiest corridors. With multiple lanes closed or barricaded, residents say they’ve seen a noticeable increase in congestion.
For those living in the nearby Cathedral City Cove neighborhood, the situation has become more than just inconvenient. East Palm Canyon Drive is the only route in and out of the community.
“It’s irritating. I take my father to the doctor over at Eisenhower hospital… traffic has been backed up. I think unnecessarily.”
Lawrence Sutherland, Cathedral City Resident
In response to these concerns, Cathedral City officials acknowledge the impact, attributing much of the disruption to the ongoing construction tied to the Cathedral Cove Center. The developer is currently adding a third lane and completing frontage improvements along East Palm Canyon.
“Right now, you have the challenge with the developer doing its work in the East Palm Canyon, backing up traffic a little.”
John Corella, Cathedral City Public Works Director
City officials also pointed to broader infrastructure improvements funded by grants aimed at enhancing the entire East Palm Canyon corridor.
“All these improvements have been the result of grants we’ve successfully secured to enhance that corridor… We’re trying to mitigate it as much as possible but at the end of the day we’re going to have wider roads, traffic lights working better and have a better city — better streets.”
John Corella, Cathedral City Public Works Director
According to the city, the current work on the median is expected to be completed within the next month. The frontage improvements along Cathedral Cove Center will likely continue to affect traffic for the next four to six weeks, with cones and lane closures in place during that time.
While many residents say they understand that growth comes with temporary inconvenience, some hope future projects will be better planned to minimize the disruption.
City officials say they will continue monitoring the area and are committed to keeping the public informed as the project progresses.
Stay with News Channel 3 for more.