The Palm Desert City Council adopted an updated mobility element and an addendum to the general-plan environmental-impact report on Dec. 11, completing a 16-month planning effort to update transportation goals, policies and study guidelines.

Consultants from LEM Services and Behrendt Piers highlighted three core areas: safety (incorporating Vision Zero and safer-design policies), vehicle-miles-traveled (VMT) guidance and transportation resiliency (evacuation and heat resilience). The update adds local VMT thresholds to improve CEQA defensibility, updates roadway classifications and identifies remaining gaps in the bike and golf-cart network.

The presentation also listed the Portola Avenue interchange as a long-term transportation priority after traffic modeling showed it would relieve congestion at Monterey and Cook streets. The mobility element includes an implementation matrix with actions and a long-term (15–20 year) horizon; staff will next explore project cost estimates and next steps for Portola.

Council approved the addendum and the updated mobility element in a unanimous vote. Staff said they will proceed with truck-route signage updates and continue to integrate safety improvements into future capital projects.

Next steps: staff to report back on Portola interchange cost and feasibility and to carry forward implementation actions identified in the matrix.