Heavy rain closes Edmonton trails, High Level Bridge sidewalk

Heavy rainfall has forced the City of Edmonton to close several trail sections in the river valley, with more severe weather expected this weekend.

The Emily Murphy to Kinsmen Park trail and the Gold Bar to Capilano Park trail are both temporarily closed due to dangerously high water levels along the North Saskatchewan River. The Capilano lower granular trail is closed indefinitely after the rain caused extensive slumping.

Braeden Holmstrom, the city's supervisor for river valley parks, said the combination of heavy rainfall and elevated river levels created a "perfect storm" for damage. "You never know what the river is going to do. It could keep going up at a really quick rate," he said. "So we close the trails just to make sure that people aren't on them, until that water level goes down to a more sustainable level."

Outside the river valley, the east sidewalk on the High Level Bridge was closed around 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 25, after heavy rain caused slope instability near the southeast side. A section of slope next to the wooden guardrail has "experienced failure," the city said. Pedestrians can still cross using the west sidewalk. A portion of the far left turn lane on 109 Street just after the bridge is also closed.

Environment Canada is forecasting 40 to 70 millimetres of rain this weekend, with scattered showers and thunderstorms expected Friday evening turning to heavy rain Saturday morning. The city is monitoring conditions closely and will update residents as the situation develops. Residents can report trail damage by calling 311.