A lane of East River Road closed by mudslide now open

Heavy rainfall is believed to have caused a portion of the bluff to collapse.

July 23, 2019 at 1:57AM

A portion of East River Road closed by a mudslide last week reopened Monday.

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board announced that the northbound lane of East River Parkway between Washington Avenue and Arlington Street reopened at 4:30 p.m. Monday. The southbound lane and adjacent trail remain closed following a July 17 mudslide along the Mississippi riverbank.

The Park Board's engineering consultant conducted an initial assessment last week and is doing additional soil borings and analysis this week. Public safety remains the Park Board's primary concern, and a more permanent solution will be determined after the test results are reviewed and the site examined, the board said in a news release

The mudslide closed a portion of East River Road and a walking trail and temporarily halted Green Line trains that run along the Washington Avenue bridge. The area of the bluff that collapsed stands 10 stories above the Mississippi River.

In June 2014, torrential rains caused a mudslide on the western bank of the Mississippi River below the University of Minnesota Medical Center. West River Parkway was closed for more than two years for reconstruction.

David Chanen • 612-673-4465

about the writer

about the writer

David Chanen

Reporter

David Chanen is a reporter covering Hennepin County government and Prince's estate dealings. He previously covered crime, courts and spent two sessions at the Legislature.

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