The city of Desert Hot Springs has provided an update on the current standings of the road construction repairs project. The city officials indicated that they are making progressive strides in completing some of the roads that were damaged. The damage on the roads was a result of Tropical Storm Hilary which caused destruction in Southern California. The project is shaping up to be fruitful as some roads are expected to be completed by the end of the month. The repaired roads include Little Morongo Road, Indian Canyon Drive, and Dillon Road. Construction on the Indian Canyon Drive is anticipated to be completed by the end of March. The Dillon Road is expected to see its completion by the end of April. The city also appreciated its residents for their patience during the road construction repairs project. 
The Scope of the Road Repairs Construction Project
The Desert Hot Springs City Council made a unanimous decision to approve construction projects to repair all major roads. The city council then awarded four construction contracts that cost a combined total of $8.1 million. The city aims to cover these costs by submitting reimbursement requests with Caltrans. It also aims to meet the cost by using state and federal funds allocated to them. The city council approved that construction on the three major roads must take 7 months as the timeline for its completion. Having started on November 20th, the project is expected to be completed by May 20th to allow emergency relief reimbursement. The timeline of the project could vary depending on the Federal Highway Administration approval for reimbursement. The Road repairs construction project also included the Piersons Boulevard bridge as it was necessary to ensure transport of materials would be possible to construct the roads.
The Challenges Faced by the Road Repairs Construction Project
One of the challenges that the road repairs construction project faces is accessibility to resources and materials due to transport. Little Morongo, Dillon Road, and Indian Canyon Drive have been closed since August. The roads have been closed off at the Mission Creek Cross due to the damage they sustained from the storm. According to the Assistant City manager, Daniel Porras, these roads are expected to be closed for up to 9 months. He also noted that the cataclysmic event provided Mission Creek an equivalent of a 1000-year storm event. The closure of the road starting from Mission Creek has been detrimental as it connects the entire city’s road system. The city officials insight that the completion of the roads is the top priority for the city and the city council.
The Road Construction Budget
The total budget for all four construction contracts is $8,113,833.97.The first project that was enacted was the Piersons Blvd bridge which allocated $517,207 for construction and a $719,704.70 total budget. The second project to be considered is the Little Morongo Road with $1,148,740 for construction and a $1,457,152.40 total budget. Furthermore, the Dillon Road repair project was allocated a total budget of $1,839,052.60 and $1,399,819 for the construction. The Indian Canyon Drive sustained the most damage and was allocated a total budget of $4,097,924.27 to cover the construction as well. The project’s budget was approved by the city council board. The California Department of Transportation is expected to provide the funds. The city got the Pierson Boulevard Bridge repairs started before council approval by using existing state road repair funding, according to a city staff report.
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