Officials celebrate $5.5M project in front of Riverside County Fair

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Thursday to celebrate the $5.5 million project to fix and beautify the roads in front of the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival in Indio.

The free event began at around 10 a.m. near the gate one entrance, 82-503 Highway 111, to celebrate the improvements and to preview the upcoming festival, which is set to begin Feb. 17, according to a statement from Supervisor V. Manuel Perez’s office.

Perez was joined by officials from the county’s Facilities Management Department, the sheriff’s department, Granite Construction Company, Albert A. Webb Associates and the city of Indio.

“It’s a beautiful project with new repaved streets, medians, lighting, sidewalks and curbs,” Perez said in a Facebook post. “These improvements are just the beginning, with more to come at our Fairgrounds!”

The project repaired Highway 111 from Arabia Street to Smurr Street, and Oasis Street from Highway 111 to the county parking structure on Plaza Avenue, according to Perez. Upgrades on Highway 111 include new paving, new street lighting, sidewalk upgrades, new curbs and gutters, accessible ramps, new striping, an addition of a right turn lane and more.

The project began in April 2022, led by the county’s Facilities Management Department, with construction performed by the Granite Construction Company, and civil engineering done by Albert A. Webb Associates, Perez said.

“This was a major county investment to revitalize Highway 111 and Oasis Street, improving access to downtown Indio, the justice center complex, and the main corridor leading to the Riverside County Fairgrounds,” said Perez. “We thank the community for their patience during the construction and we are now glad to have smoother roads that look very nice and improve travel to the National Date Festival and to all the local businesses, offices and facilities along this corridor.”

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