At its September 3 meeting, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) Board of Commissioners approved a professional services agreement with Barr Engineering to provide design, engineering, and construction oversight for the permanent repair of the landslide along West River Parkway area near Fourth Street South.
The parkway and trails at the base of the river bluff were closed in late June after heavy rain caused soil, vegetation and debris from a 100-foot section of the hillside to slip, covering West River Parkway and sliding into the Mississippi River. The slide jeopardized Fairview-University Medical Center equipment and pavement at the top of the bluff, which have been relocated or temporarily stabilized.
As a temporary solution, MPRB and Fairview-University Medical Center contractors have covered the slide area with a fabric casing to minimize rainfall erosion. However, a permanent strategy to restore the bluff has yet to be determined. The section of West River Parkway between 4th St. S. and Franklin Ave. remains closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic because of the instability of the slide zone.
Barr Engineering estimates their work will require three months of investigation and engineering. They also recommend avoiding construction in the cold weather months due to frozen ground water and winter temperature fluctuations. Accordingly, permanent slope repair construction is expected to begin in spring of 2015 and last three to four months.
For more information and to sign up for timely email updates visit the West River Parkway slope reconstruction project page.
Contact
Deb Bartels
Project Manager
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board
612-230-6438
dbartels@minneapolisparks.org
Questions from the media:
Robin Smothers
Communications and Marketing
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board
612-230-6410
rsmothers@minneapolisparks.org