GRANITE FALLS (KMHL) – If you were hoping for State Highway 67 to re-open soon southeast of Granite Falls, don’t hold your breath.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation announced yesterday that movement of the earth under the highway has caused significant cracking in the highway.
MnDOT said the embankment at the main crack is moving at around one inch per day and there is significant movement well beneath the road surface. In a website, MnDOT released on the issue, engineers say there are several factors contributing to the slope’s instability.
“Wet soil conditions experienced this spring caused an increase in the weight of the soil leading to an unstable condition, resulting in a slope failure. A slope failure occurs when the force resisting the movement of the soil is overcome by the gravitational force acting on the slope,” said MnDOT.
But so far investigators are unsure why the failure is happening now. MnDOT notes the road has been in its current alignment since the 1940s without major incident.
MnDOT says no work will be done on the road at this time, they said they need more time to study and investigate exactly what’s going on.
