Summary

The CV Link is a planned 50-mile multi-use path in the Coachella Valley for pedestrians, bicyclists, and low-speed electric vehicles. The project aims to improve community health and wellbeing by increasing opportunities for exercise, supporting active transportation, enhancing air quality, connecting communities, and stimulating the local economy. Given existing health and income disparities in the region, the project’s benefits could be maximized through additional equity-focused initiatives.

The CV Link’s initial route will run from Palm Springs to Coachella, with future phases extending to Desert Hot Springs and the Salton Sea. Approximately 175,000 people live within 1.5 miles of the proposed route, making them the primary users. Construction of the core project is estimated to cost $100 million, funded by regional, state, and federal sources.

This Health Impact Assessment (HIA) analyzed demographic, health, and economic data; reviewed similar projects; and gathered input through surveys, workshops, focus groups, and interviews. While CV Link offers broad benefits, community members raised concerns about whether disadvantaged communities will fully access and benefit from the project.

Key Health and Equity Benefits

• Increased physical activity: Residents living near the path are more likely to engage in exercise, reducing the risk of chronic disease and improving mental health.
• Improved access: CV Link will connect people to recreation, jobs, schools, parks, and transit.
• Better air quality: By encouraging active transportation and reducing dust in the Whitewater River wash, CV Link will contribute to lower air pollution levels.
• Reduced injuries and fatalities: A protected path will improve safety for pedestrians and bicyclists, who are at high risk of injury in the region.
• Economic development: CV Link may result in healthcare cost savings, accident prevention, new jobs, and increased property values.

Recommendations

The HIA’s recommendations are meant to maximize the benefits of building CV Link and to address some of the access and equity questions raised by community members.

• Prioritize CV Link Development in Communities with the Poorest Health Conditions: In order to prioritize serving disadvantaged communities with the poorest health conditions, begin construction in disadvantaged areas of Coachella and Indio and continue pursuing grant funding for the development of the Desert Hot Springs extension and the East Valley Direct Route in Phase 2 development. However, pockets of disadvantaged communities with poor health conditions are found throughout the Coachella Valley and adjacent to the CV Link alignment, such as in Cathedral City and north Palm Springs.
• Continue Outreach and Education Targeting a Diverse Audience: Develop more outreach materials and continue to utilize methods to educate a wide and diverse range of community members about the availability and benefits of CV Link.
• Crime and Collision Prevention: Through measures outlined in the CV Link Master Plan and the full HIA report, ensure that users of CV Link are as safe as possible from vehicle collisions and potential crime along the route. For example, educate Low Speed Electric Vehicle users about safety measures, ensure that jurisdictional pedestrian and bicycle plans are adequately designed to ensure safety of pedestrians and cyclists, and incorporate Crime Prevention through Environmental Design measures (CPTED).
• Target CV Link Related Jobs to Locals: In order to keep economic benefits within the Coachella Valley and to provide jobs to those who need them most, community leaders should encourage employment policies that target construction and maintenance jobs to residents and businesses in communities along the route and the Coachella Valley as a whole, and to economically disadvantaged groups specifically, and ensure that all jobs created by the project pay a fair wages.