UPDATED: Highway 13 Closed in Same Area as 2010 Failure

Repairing the road failure on Sibley Memorial Highway (Highway 13) between Lilydale and downtown Mendota could be stymied by a state government shutdown.

If a special session is not called and a budget deal is not worked out before July 1, state workers including the Minnesota Department of Transportation will be called off the job. That leaves workers a mere two days.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation monitors that section of road west of Interstate 35E because it’s prone to washouts during periods of frequent rain, said MnDOT spokesperson J.P. Gillach. 

The stretch of road closed is the same area where a failure occurred in spring of 2010, causing 70 feet of road to slump from lack of support.

Same place, but different problem. Mike Kamnikar, acting maintenance operations engineer, said that springs from the hillside have washed away soil from underneath a layer of concrete grout covering the soil nails on the side of the road.

Soil nails that were installed as part of last year's project are still in place. "If you get the right conditions that soil will still move," said Kamnikar.

As a result, soil has washed away, and a fence and silt fence have fallen down the bluffline toward the trail below.

A consultant is coming up with a design to better manage the volume of water moving through the bedrock.

That plan is anticipated to be submitted tomorrow. Kamnikar said that they'll have a better sense of the timeline for repairs, but estimates it will take about a week.

MnDOT became aware of the problem Monday afternoon. The road was closed to through traffic shortly before 4 p.m. from Lexington to Second Street, leaving residents access to their homes. 

However, the road is blocked off entirely near the site of the failure, just east of the 30 mph sign entering downtown Mendota. Those traveling from Lilydale to Mendota must detour up Lexington Avenue to Highway 110 or Victoria Curve to get back onto Highway 13 heading east.

The potential for a bluff failure that would affect the Lilydale Regional Trail below is also a concern.

A concrete barrier at the bottom of the bluff has been positioned to protect passerby in the case of a slide.

Last time the road failed, the trail was closed entirely, but “people pretty much ignored that anyway,” said Gillach.

Bicyclists and walkers probably shouldn’t linger at the site for a water break or rest, said Gillach.

An extensive reconstruction of Highway 13 from Mendota to Interstate 35E  that will address drainage problems is scheduled to begin in 2012.