On St. Paul’s West Side almost a quarter-mile of Wabasha Street remains closed to vehicles and pedestrians as a result of a rock slide over the weekend.

The rock collapse, which took place between Plato Boulevard and Cesar Chavez Street, is likely to complicate but not cancel the neighborhood’s annual Cinco de Mayo festival and a related five-kilometer run. Both are scheduled to take place Saturday immediately bordering the area.

“I’ve been hearing about it all day,” said Alyssa Olson, a marketing and event manager with the St. Paul Festival and Heritage Foundation, which oversees both the Winter Carnival and Cinco de Mayo celebrations.

The festival is expected to draw some 40,000 residents from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. The parade, which includes 76 marching units, is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. and run along almost one half-mile of Cesar Chavez Street from Wabasha Street to Ada Street.

The event includes four performance stages along the route, as well as a community “village” experience with booths and family-friendly activities.

The National Latino Peace Officers Association is scheduled to host its 15th annual Menudo 5K Fun Run at 8 a.m. that same day, beginning at Wabasha Street and Plato Boulevard.

Olson said the foundation was unlikely to cancel the parade or related events, but “we are waiting for guidance from the city.”

Lisa Hiebert, a spokeswoman for St. Paul Public Works, said it was still unclear when the city would be able to move hundreds of pounds of limestone slabs from the center of Wabasha Street.

Geologists from the Minnesota Department of Transportation conducted a preliminary assessment on Saturday, and the city hired Itasca Consulting on Monday to complete a full assessment of the bluff site.

Itasca is expected to report on any immediate safety concerns and recommend both short-term cleanup and long-term safety precautions.

In addition, St. Paul Public Works is contracting a firm to survey the face of the bluff, which will take several days. The city expects to have an action plan at the end of the week.

“The road will be closed until further notice,” Hiebert said.

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“We really don’t have that timetable about when cleanup will be able to be done,” Hiebert said. “They want to make sure that site is safe and secure before they do any kind of work.”

Surrounding businesses such as the Wabasha Street Caves, Grumpy Steve’s Coffee and the Boca Chica Taco House remain open.

A business manager at the caves site — a popular event location — said they were unaffected by the sudden collapse of limestone from the neighboring bluff and the caves remained scheduled to host two proms next weekend.

The Wabasha Street Caves manager, who declined to identify herself, said one of her tour guides called her at 2:30 p.m. Saturday to indicate there was a “bunch of commotion” outside, and people were milling about. The workers found large slabs of limestone and a tree in the road, blocking vehicle access. On Monday, the slabs and tree were still there, as were St. Paul Police. Drivers and cyclists were forced to turn around at “Do Not Enter” signs erected to deter passersby.

Workers are completing unrelated maintenance on the Wabasha Street Caves site, including furnace work, she said.