CV Link Closures and Detours: Your 2026–2029 Route Guide
CV Link's first anniversary is a few weeks away, and it comes as three road bridges are about to close the path. Coachella's Avenue 50 bridge is scheduled to break ground on October 15. The Ramon Road bridge between Palm Springs and Cathedral City is set to follow this winter. The Interstate 10 and Monroe Street interchange in Indio is expected to start in January 2027. According to the Coachella Valley Association of Governments, CV Link will close at each of these crossings for the full length of construction, which runs into 2028 or 2029.
Two of those closures land on the East Valley segment and one on the West Valley segment. None of them touches the Central Valley segment in Palm Desert. For the next couple of years, the 5.44-mile run from the Bump & Grind trailhead to Cook Street will be the only CV Link segment you can ride, walk or drive a golf cart from one end to the other without a detour.
CVAG describes CV Link as a 40-mile corridor. On the ground, it runs as three separate segments, and each one is affected differently by the bridge schedule.
| Segment | Length | Endpoints | Bridge project | Expected start | Expected finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Valley | 19.63 miles | Palm Springs Visitor Center to Date Palm Drive, Cathedral City | Ramon Road Bridge | This winter | Winter 2028/Spring 2029 |
| Central Valley | 5.44 miles | Bump & Grind trailhead to Cook Street at Palm Desert High School | None scheduled | None | None |
| East Valley | 16.02 miles | Washington Street, La Quinta to Airport Boulevard, Coachella | I-10/Monroe Street, Indio | January 2027 | 2029 |
| East Valley | 16.02 miles | Washington Street, La Quinta to Airport Boulevard, Coachella | Avenue 50 Bridge, Coachella | Groundbreaking October 15 | 2028 |
The start dates have already moved once. In June, CVAG's construction page listed August 2026 for Avenue 50 and Fall 2026 for Ramon Road. Coachella has since set its groundbreaking for mid-October, and the City of Palm Springs' September 24 announcement now says Ramon Road construction will begin "this winter." The CVAG hotline at (833) 4CV-LINK has the latest timing.
Of the three closures, Ramon Road has the most detail behind it. It also matters most to anyone riding the West Valley segment from Palm Springs into Cathedral City. The project will widen the bridge over the Whitewater Channel from four lanes to six. It also adds seismic retrofitting, flood resilience measures, new sidewalks and protected bike lanes that connect to CV Link. The bridge carries more than 40,000 vehicles a day.
The CV Link crossing under Ramon Road is fairly new. KESQ reported at the end of 2025 that riders had no safe connection between the north and south sides of the path at Ramon, and the underpass was opened in response. That underpass will now close for construction. Palm Springs city engineer Joel Montalvo told KESQ that keeping it open was not feasible: "We're going to be demoing. We're going to be doing major construction, renovation underneath the structure itself."
KESQ described the detour route as follows:
John Siegel, a bike safety advocate who rides the Link often, told KESQ that he and many other cyclists used this route before the underpass existed. He expects newcomers and visitors to struggle with it: "There's going to be, I would say, a degree of chaos steering people through neighborhoods in ways that it's not obvious." Drivers on Ramon Road should expect slowdowns and lane narrowing. Montalvo said crews will try to keep two lanes open in each direction throughout the project.
Palm Springs, Cathedral City and the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians are holding two community meetings this month on construction phasing, alert sign-ups and the "Business is Open During Construction" program:
Both meetings will offer ASL and Spanish interpretation. Project updates are posted at ramonroadbridgeproject.com.
Avenue 50 has been in the works for a long time. Coachella received federal bridge funding for it in 2014 and finished environmental review in 2019. Eminent domain proceedings, coordination with tribal and regional partners, and the pandemic then held up the project. On September 21, the City Council awarded a $48.7 million construction contract to Riverside Construction Company Inc. That came in about $7 million under the city's original estimate. The new bridge replaces the low-water crossing over the Coachella Valley Stormwater Channel, which floods regularly.
For CV Link riders, the key detail is in phase one. It realigns Tyler Street and moves CV Link to run under the new bridge, with a temporary connection to the existing signal at Highway 86. CVAG says the path will be closed at Avenue 50 during construction and that a detour "will be posted." As of early October, no detour route has been published.
The Monroe Street interchange project in Indio is expected to start in January 2027, roughly three months after Avenue 50. CVAG says CV Link under Monroe Street will close for the duration, with completion expected in 2029 and a detour to be posted. Once both projects are underway, the 16.02-mile East Valley segment will have two construction breaks on it at once. The stretch from Washington Street to Jefferson Street, which La Quinta opened on November 10, 2025, sits west of both projects.
The Central Valley segment avoids the bridge schedule because none of the three projects falls within it. It runs on-street and along the Whitewater River from the Bump & Grind trailhead behind Desert Crossing Shopping Center to Cook Street next to Palm Desert High School. Palm Desert Civic Park, at 43900 San Pablo Avenue, is a second access point.
The segment also has restrooms at both access points. CVAG lists restrooms at the Bump & Grind Access Point and at Palm Desert Civic Center Park. The full list also includes the Palm Springs Visitor Center, Esperanza Park, North Jackson Park and Sierra Vista Park. The path is open day and night. Shade structures, water stations and solar-powered LED lighting run along it and at the access points.
Palm Desert's segment has always stood on its own. It was never physically connected to the West Valley or East Valley pieces. The approved route does not pass through Rancho Mirage or Indian Wells, so the path stops at Date Palm Drive on one side of Palm Desert and starts again at Washington Street on the other.
The Indian Wells gap came up again this year. CVAG's account says Indian Wells Mayor Toper Taylor publicly expressed interest in revisiting CV Link in 2026. CVAG staff then did an initial review of 10 options for connecting Palm Desert and La Quinta, including a no-build option. The two top-ranked options run along the Whitewater River and along Highway 111. CVAG describes the final choice as a decision for the City of Indian Wells, and no route has been approved.
Further out, CVAG expects construction on the Arts and Music Line connector through La Quinta, Indio and Coachella to begin in 2027.
Until the bridges reopen, SunLine Transit buses are the easiest way past a break. Every SunBus has a front bike rack, and SunLine says bikes ride free and can be loaded at any stop. Route 1WV runs along Highway 111 between Palm Springs and Palm Desert through Rancho Mirage, and Route 4 serves Date Palm Drive at Ramon Road. Route 1EV continues along Highway 111 from Palm Desert to Coachella, passing through Indian Wells. These bus routes don't stop at the CV Link endpoints, so plan for a short ride on surface streets at each end. SunLine's current rider guides took effect September 6, 2026.
On the West Valley segment, the Tahquitz Creek branch is a separate option. It runs from Dinah Shore Drive through Demuth Park to North Riverside Drive in south Palm Springs. There is street parking at the access point at Via Escuela and Executive Drive.
The usual rules apply on detours too. The speed limit is 20 miles per hour, pets must stay on leash, and most areas have a separate decomposed granite path for people on foot. CVAG's interactive map at coachellavalleylink.com marks construction zones and detours as they are posted.
If your daily routine includes the Bump & Grind access point, the Dinah Shore Bridge or anywhere near Avenue 50, you'll see these projects up close for the next two years. If you're thinking about how a nearby CV Link access point or a long construction project affects your home, Jeff Wettstein can go over it with you and give you a clear answer to Know Your Home's Worth.
Stay up to date on the latest real estate trends.
Get assistance in determining the current property value, crafting a competitive offer, writing and negotiating a contract, and much more. Contact me today.