Officials keeping a close eye on slope failure

Chagrin River continues to erode shale cliff by River and South streets

Willoughby’s intersection of River and South streets is a place where the Chagrin River comes out of Route 84 and makes a slight bend — a bend that is slowly eating away at the shale cliff.

City Engineer Tim Lannon said going back 100 years or more, Willoughby has several roads built along the Chagrin River. Some of those roads are closer to the river than others such as portions of Ridge Road, Route 84 and River Street, or Route 174.

“As the river bends and winds its way through the city, some places get very close over the years,” Lannon said. “The ridge is about 100 feet above the river. We have different types of soils. A lot of it is shale that can be almost vertical, but still a soft material.”

“The state will get around to the resurfacing project through all of Route 174 from Downtown Willoughby to southern edge of Willoughby and beyond, but our concern are the portions within the city.”

— City Engineer Tim Lannon

The intersection, which was mentioned by a two local residents during a recent council meeting, is the next closest spot of all of the areas along the river and the next thing on the watch list, Lannon said. The worst spots have retaining walls that have been built over the years, he said.

Regular inspection of the area dates back to at least 2003, Lannon said. Oftentimes, locals notice that trees have slid into the river and disappeared — something that is monitored while measurements are taken.

“Almost certainly, the bank doesn’t get farther away in this location. It gets closer and closer every time we check,” Lannon said. “We’re in the process of comparing that to the last report we had from 2017, but it’s going to show more movement.”

It’s been acknowledged that eventually a retaining wall will be needed at this location. Lannon said it’s just a matter of finding sources of money such as grant funds to help the cost of a wall that can cost more than half a million dollars depending on the length.

The next goal in the forefront will be to line up some funds in advance of the next time the road will be paved, which will be somewhere around 2024, Lannon said.

“The state will get around to the resurfacing project through all of Route 174 from Downtown Willoughby to southern edge of Willoughby and beyond, but our concern are the portions within the city,” he said.