Festival Exit, Monterey Paving and Bob Hope Drive Work Top This Week’s Know Before You Go

It’s a busy start to the week on Coachella Valley roads, with a festival letting out, storm cleanup still underway and several construction projects all landing at once. CV Sync Traffic Program Manager Kris Gunterson joined NBC Palm Springs for this week’s Know Before You Go to break down where you’ll want to steer clear.

Indio: Head Trip Music Festival Exit

Campers and hotel guests from the Head Trip Music Festival at the Empire Polo Club are heading out Monday morning. Expect heavy traffic on Washington Street, Jefferson Street, Monroe Street, Jackson Street and Avenue 52 as people make their way to Interstate 10.

Gunterson says traffic should peak between 9 and 11 a.m. before clearing up. If you’re leaving the valley on the I-10 today, he says to be on the freeway before 8 a.m. The rest of the valley will be busier than usual too, as people check out of hotels and head home.

Palm Desert: Monterey Avenue Paving

Paving is underway on Monterey Avenue, focused for now near Dinah Shore Drive. The project covers the stretch from the I-10 overpass to Gerald Ford Drive and should wrap up sometime in October.

Crews are putting down new blacktop, so you may see temporary lane markers in place of full striping. Gunterson says those markers can make lane assignments hard to read, so slow down and pay attention as you drive through. Use Cook Street or Date Palm Drive to avoid the area.

Rancho Mirage: Bob Hope Drive at Dinah Shore Drive

The city is replacing asphalt on Bob Hope Drive at Dinah Shore Drive from Oct. 12 through Oct. 23. Crews will close the southbound right lane, and traffic control will cut southbound Bob Hope down to one lane through the work zone.

Gunterson says this work, combined with the Monterey project, could make the area slow going, so avoid it if you can.

Rancho Mirage: Bob Hope Drive Slurry Seal

Crews are also putting down slurry seal on Bob Hope Drive, a fresh coat of sand and tar that helps preserve the road surface. Work on the stretch between Dinah Shore Drive and Gerald Ford Drive happens Monday and Tuesday. Crews then move to the stretch between Gerald Ford Drive and Frank Sinatra Drive on Wednesday and Thursday. On each stretch, crews work on the outside lanes the first day and the inside lanes the second day.

On Friday, slurry seal work moves to the Monterey Avenue intersections at Gerald Ford Drive and Frank Sinatra Drive. Gunterson says it’s not yet clear which part of those intersections crews will work on, but expect delays. Cook Street is your best way around both projects.

Palm Springs: North Indian Canyon Still Closed After Storm

Heavy rain from Tropical Storm Rachel closed several roads across the valley on Saturday. As of Monday morning, only one remains closed. North Indian Canyon Drive between Garnet Avenue and Sunrise Parkway has been shut down since police announced the closure around 3 a.m. Sunday, and it has not reopened yet.

For the latest on road work across the Coachella Valley, visit CV Sync.