NORTH SHORE – The Riverside County Transportation Department has mobilized its entire Thermal maintenance yard crew and equipment to clean up streets and repair damaged roadways in North Shore, following the weekend’s intense rainstorm that hit the Salton Sea community.
The Friday night and early Saturday downpour deposited silt, mud and debris from the surrounding mountains onto the streets, and damaged pavement and curbs.
County streets, except Avenue 70 near the bridge, are open and usable while maintenance crews clean them. The street clean-up is expected to take two weeks to complete, while asphalt and concrete repairs will take longer to finish.
“In many instances of heavy rains, North Shore roads take in a lot of runoff that washes down and covers the roads,” Supervisor V. Manuel Perez said in a prepared statement. “Our transportation crews are doing a great job right after the storm to clear mud, remove dirt from the roads and sweep them clean. I am pleased that the department is on top of this and is focused on removing all the storm debris and repairing the damage as swiftly as possible.”
A total of three graders, four loaders, six trucks and two scrapers have been dispatched to assist in the clean-up, which began over the weekend.
The storm also caused extensive damage to the North Shore Community Park. The park remains closed while the Desert Recreation District assesses the damage and determines next steps.
Flash flooding on Oct. 1 prompted two ongoing road closures in the area.
Avenue 70 remains closed at Cleveland Street, due to the impacted bridge over a flood control waste way. Riverside County is working with the Coachella Valley Water District to assess the bridge and any potential restoration plan.
Box Canyon Road, a scenic route between the Mecca Hills and Interstate 10 near Chiriaco Summit, was washed out by the Oct. 1 storm. The weekend storm eroded the clean-up efforts and caused additional damage to the road. The county will go out to bid to seek a contractor to complete the work needed to reopen the road.
Perez represents the eastern two-thirds of Riverside County on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors. Stretching from Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs, south to the Salton Sea and east to Blythe and the Colorado River, the 4th District is the largest geographical district in the county.
Caption: Photos from the Transportation Department depict the aftermath of the weekend storms on North Shore roadways, as well as the efforts to clear streets of debris.
