City leaders elevate Portola Avenue interchange as long-term priority

The Palm Desert City Council unanimously approved a comprehensive update to the city's mobility element earlier this month, elevating a proposed Portola Avenue interchange with Interstate 10 as a long-term priority in a transportation plan that will guide how residents, commuters and visitors move through the city for the next 15 to 20 years.

The council also approved new transportation study guidelines and an addendum to the city's general plan environmental impact report, concluding a 16-month effort to modernize Palm Desert's approach to traffic, safety and growth.

Deputy Director of Development Services Carlos Flores presented the item during a council meeting on Dec. 11, describing the update as a cross-departmental undertaking involving development services, public works and capital projects staff.

Consultant Brian Wolfe of Fehr & Peers outlined the planning process, which included multiple City Council study sessions, technical modeling and a public hearing before the Planning Commission, which recommended approval in November.

Portola Interchange Priority

A central feature of the update is the formal inclusion of a Portola Avenue interchange with Interstate 10 as a long-term transportation priority — a move city leaders say could reshape traffic patterns, particularly in north Palm Desert.

"We heard it is a long-term transportation priority," Wolfe told councilmembers, adding that traffic modeling showed the need for the interchange "to address congestion at Monterey and Cook Street."

City planners say adding the interchange would help redistribute freeway traffic, reduce pressure on existing I-10 access points and shorten trips during peak travel periods, especially during the winter season when congestion routinely spills onto local arterials.

State-Mandated Changes

Beyond the interchange, the updated mobility element reflects several state-mandated changes to how cities plan for transportation. The plan introduces new goals and policies in three primary areas: safety, vehicle miles traveled and transportation resiliency.

On safety, the city formally adopts a Vision Zero goal, committing to work toward eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries. The plan prioritizes improvements along high-injury roadways and intersections and calls for safer street design standards and education programs aimed at drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.

The update also aligns Palm Desert with California's shift away from measuring transportation impacts solely by congestion. Planning now focuses on vehicle miles traveled — how much people drive overall — with policies intended to promote multimodal travel and encourage development patterns that reduce strain on the roadway network.

As part of that effort, the mobility element updates roadway classifications to better reflect current conditions and to accommodate features such as buffered bike lanes and pedestrian improvements, rather than assuming future road widening.

Transportation resiliency forms the third focus of the plan, addressing how Palm Desert's transportation system will function during emergencies and extreme weather events. New policies emphasize maintaining critical infrastructure, supporting evacuation routes and ensuring roads can withstand extreme heat, flooding and other hazards.

Plan Details

The mobility element establishes 10 goals and 54 policies covering livable streets, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, transit, parking, goods movement, transportation innovation and regional coordination.

For everyday travelers, the changes are expected to be most noticeable in expanded bicycle and golf cart connections and efforts to close remaining gaps in the city's network, including coordination with neighboring cities to support regional travel.

The update also formally designates truck routes through Palm Desert, aiming to support freight movement while steering heavy vehicles away from residential neighborhoods, schools and parks, improving safety and predictability for other road users.

The newly adopted transportation study guidelines establish how future development projects will be evaluated. While vehicle miles traveled will be used for environmental review, Palm Desert will continue to use level of service as a local planning tool. Intersections will generally be expected to operate at acceptable levels during peak hours, with greater flexibility in the city center to support walkability and a tighter street grid.

Council Action

With no public comment and little discussion, the council unanimously approved the update. One councilmember praised the effort, calling it "an amazing process" and thanking staff and consultants for their work.

City officials emphasized that the mobility element provides a framework rather than a construction schedule. Short-term actions include evaluating next steps for the Portola Avenue interchange, improving truck route signage and continuing to incorporate safety improvements into the city's capital improvement program.

With the plan now in place, Palm Desert leaders say the city is better positioned to manage growth, seasonal traffic and changing transportation needs — while laying the groundwork for long-term projects that could reshape how people move through the city.