Project Overview
The County of Riverside (County) in cooperation with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and City of Coachella Valley (City) proposes to replace the existing Airport Boulevard Bridge over the Whitewater River (Project).
Airport Boulevard Bridge serves as a major link across the Whitewater River for the residential and commercial communities of the Coachella Valley in the County and the neighboring cities of Coachella, La Quinta, and Indio. Airport Boulevard along with the bridge is classified as a “collector street” by the County of Riverside.
The existing bridge is a 13-span cast-in-place reinforced concrete slab structure with a total length of 366 ft. It is 34 feet wide and carries two-lanes of traffic over the Whitewater River (1 lane in each direction). The bridge was originally built in 1951 and partial reconstruction of the bridge occurred in 1970. It was rehabilitated in 2017 to include the 5-foot sidewalk along the south side of the bridge.
The 1970 partial reconstruction and 2017 rehabilitation work is now outdated and insufficient in consideration of the current Caltrans Seismic Design Criteria and retrofit technology. The bridge is listed in the Federal Eligible Bridge List (EBL) with a Sufficiency Rating (SR) of 60. Since the bridge has a SR lower than 80, the bridge is eligible for major rehabilitation in accordance with the Highway Bridge Program (HBP) guidelines.
The Project will replace the existing 71-year-old bridge with a new bridge that will meet the current seismic, service load design standards, and provide an adequate facility for emergency response and general access across the Whitewater River. The work will include reconstructing approach roadways, intersection and offsite improvements as well as accommodate future connectivity to the Coachella Valley Link Trail.
Bridge Data:
Existing Length: 366 ft. Existing Width: 34 ft.
Proposed Length: 366 ft. Proposed Width: 70 ft – 11 inches
Designated: Federal Eligible Bridge
SR (Sufficiency Rating): 60
Year Built: 1951
Scope: Total Bridge Replacement
Project Schedule:
Environmental Clearance Phase: Completed
Final Design: March 2025
Right of Way: April 2025
Construction Start: December 2025
Construction Completion: Summer 2027
Project Documents
final Initial Study/Negative Declaration (pdf)
Notice of Availability (in English and Spanish) (pdf)
NOTICE OF DEtermination (PDF)
TECHNICAL STUDIES
Initial Site Assessment for Hazardous Waste
Location Hydraulic Study
Natural Environment Study
Paleontological Memorandum
Visual Impact Assessment – Minor Level
Water Quality Assessment Report
Additional Project Details:
Estimated Project Cost: $16 Million
Project Contact: Umer Ahmed
(951) 955-1637
uahmed@rivco.org
