Traffic Alert: 'Lengthy Delays' Expected Along Hwy 111 in Palm Desert Next Week

The repaving of Highway 111 in Palm Desert will begin Monday and is expected to continue for about two months, a city spokesman said Thursday.

All of Highway 111, a major thoroughfare, will be resurfaced in Palm Desert, along with part of Portola Avenue from Fred Waring Drive to Magnesia Falls Drive. Work will start on the east end of Highway 111 and move west, city spokesman David Hermann said.

"Traffic will be reduced to one lane in both directions during construction hours with additional lanes reopening once each day’s work is done," Hermann said.  "Periodic additional lane closures will be necessary following the conclusion of resurfacing to allow for restriping and other finishing details."

Motorists can expect "potentially lengthy delays," he said. 

"This summer project is designed to prevent more extensive and expensive repairs in season, when Highway 111 is more heavily traveled," he added.

The work will cost around $3 million and is expected to be completed by October, he said.

Recycled Pavement

According to Hermann, the work will be done using an "environmentally friendly technique" called cold-in-pace recycling.

"Workers will grind up the existing asphalt on the street and crush it into small pieces, which will be blended with asphalt oil and returned to the roadway," he explained.  "After the asphalt is recycled, the street will be capped with two inches of environmentally friendly warm-mix asphalt."

For more information, call the city at (760) 346-0611, ext. 450.

– City News Service contributed to this report.