Heavy rainfall caused a mudslide Thursday night along West River Parkway near the University of Minnesota’s West Bank campus.

The stretch of West River Parkway was closed from late Thursday night to Friday afternoon from Franklin Avenue E to 4th Street S. , said Dawn Sommers, communications and marketing director for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. Late Friday morning, officials announced that the event occurred due to soil displacement. 

As of 11:30 p.m. Thursday, she said the mud reached the road area but had not covered the road.

This stretch of the parkway and the adjacent pedestrian trail are closed until further notice due to safety concerns, officials say.

The Park Board will assess the damage and severity of the mudslide Friday morning to determine how long the area will be closed.

“The closure is a precaution because we didn’t know if it would shift further out, cars were already starting to veer because it was on the edge of the road,” Sommers said.

The mudslide happened near the site of a 2014 mudslide.

“We knew it was a heavy commuter route and wanted people to plan accordingly,” Sommers said.