Indian Canyon still shut. It's been closed in 2011 for more days than in the two previous years combined

Today's Desert Sun has a story about Indian Canyon Drive being closed this year for so many days. The story says:"High winds and flooding have closed Indian Canyon Drive at Whitewater Wash nearly as many days so far in 2011 as in the two previous years combined. The road, which cuts through a riverbed and connects downtown Palm Springs with Interstate 10, has been closed for 12 days since the beginning of the year, including Monday. Between December 2008 and December 2010, the road was closed for 13 days, according to David Barakian, public works director for Palm Springs. The closures have not only inconvenienced drivers but have cost the city thousands of dollars for cleanup crews and occasionally forced the police department to post officers to keep drivers from trying to get around barricades. If the sand is especially deep, it can cost as much as $10,000 to clear. It cost $24,000 to clear the debris after the flooding in December. Numerous “fixes” have been suggested by Desert Sun readers, including building a wall or planting tamarisk trees to block the blowing sand and floodwaters. If only it was that easy, the problem would have been solved long ago. The natural terrain and sensitive desert ecology limit the options available to highway engineers. Shifting sand is important to several different wildlife species, including the fringe-toed lizard. Whitewater Wash is protected under the Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan. And you can't build a wall or plant a bunch of trees across the riverbed because waters need to flow unimpeded. A bridge has long been proposed for that area, but with an estimated price tag of $200 million." Miss Penny Lane says: She no longer cares if Indian Canyon Drive is closed because she's found out that there's another Dairy Queen to the south.