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RIVERSIDE COUNTY – Caltrans, the City of Indio, Coachella Valley Association of Governments and Riverside University Health System – Public Health today celebrated the upcoming $8.4 million in Clean California projects in the Indio region. These projects were made possible through Governor Gavin Newsom’s Clean California initiative, a sweeping $1.1 billion, multiyear clean-up effort led by Caltrans to remove trash, create thousands of jobs, and engage communities to transform public spaces.
“Caltrans is excited to fund these great Clean California local grant projects that provide bike paths and walkway improvements, safe routes to school, and art installations to improve transportation access and beautify underserved communities in the Coachella Valley,” said Caltrans Acting Director Steven Keck.
The City of Indio’s Jackson Street Corridor Project received $5 million to beautify about three-quarters of a mile of Jackson Street between Kenner Avenue and Avenue 45. The project will transform a series of commercial strip malls and vacant lots into an area that is welcoming and encourages pedestrians and cyclists to use the sidewalks and bike lanes. The city will plant drought-tolerant shade trees, install extra-large, artistically wrapped trash receptacles, construct 6,000 square-feet of new ADA compliant sidewalk, host community cleanup events, and work with local artists and students to include public art installations along the corridor.
Coachella Valley Association of Governments in partnership with the City of Coachella and the City of Cathedral City received $1.2 million for the Coachella Valley Community Connectors Project. The project will make much-needed improvements along two community connectors in historically underserved communities to parks and the Coachella Valley Link, a regional multimodal transportation project. The project also will plant shade trees and install landscaping, benches and trash receptacles.
Riverside University Health System – Public Health received $2.2 million for the Clean, Beautiful, and Resilient Oasis Project for litter collection, public art installation and walking path in one of the most underserved communities in Riverside County. The project connects three mobile home parks to a recreational park, local market and community clinic and will improve pedestrian pathways and crossings. The project also will plant native tree and pollinator garden landscaping, and provide other community amenities such as public art, shade structures, benches and tables. The projects aims to enhance a sense of community through informative programs, litter pickup and conservation programs, and ecological programming.
Caltrans awarded $296 million in Clean California grants last month to remove litter and transform public spaces in underserved communities in addition to the $312 million for beautification projects along the state highway system announced in February. Designed to foster cultural connections and civic pride, the projects are expected to generate 7,200 jobs. Governor Newsom’s California Blueprint proposes an additional $100 million to fund another round of Clean California local projects.
Since launching Clean California in July, Caltrans has removed more than 516,000 cubic yards of litter from state highways – the equivalent of 8,700 tons or enough to fill 158 Olympic-size swimming pools – and hired 675 new team members as part of Clean California, including 524 maintenance workers who collect litter and remove graffiti. For more information, visit CleanCA.com.
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