Stabilizing South River Road Bluff a Candidate for new Bond Projects

Yesterday another landslide on south River Road fell from the bluff near Minto Park.

Via twitter

Today the City announced River Road would be closed for a while:

Due to continued safety concerns, it is estimated that River Road could remain closed for about 7-10 days. Cleanup of the River Rd S rockslide may not be safe until weather improves.

Maintenance of detour routes will be a priority until repairs can safely be made.

Here are a number of them (but not all of them), testifying to their frequency in the last decade. The combination of unstable bluff and road below create problems for all of the traveling public, not just those in cars.

December 5th, 2012 - via Twitter

Statesman Journal, 2014

December 16th, 2014

March 16th, 2017 - via the SJ and twitter

January 2nd, 2018 - via City of Salem

Once they are cleaned up, at least for those who don't live nearby the landslides are mostly forgot about, but this stretch has a long history of problems, and there has been some thought to a stronger solution, something perhaps for the next bond.

An ongoing problem, 2017

It's not just car travel that is impacted. With the two-way bike lane hugging the bluff there, more exposed to rockfall even than the auto travel lanes, it's no wonder the bike lane doesn't get used more. You are exposed to cars at near highway speed on the other side. It's not comfortable at all. With the Minto Bridge, the alternative route through Minto Park might seem appealing, but high water, inadequate lighting, and isolation through the park make it an unattractive and uncomfortable substitute except in summer.

There really is no family-friendly year-round route from this part of South Salem into downtown.

At one time here it seemed like a solution on south River Road should be among the highest priorities for the bicycle network, but with the Minto Bridge and path good in summer and a substantial partial solution, and in thinking more about the whole of the city, there are other routes and neighborhoods that would serve large numbers of people and would generate a greater return on city infrastructure investment. 

But if the City decides to build a retaining wall or work on other bluff stabilization, they should consider improving the bike path and putting in barricades against the zooming cars also.