Additional sliding of the bluff along Front Street prompted Town of Coupeville officials to close off a section of the pedestrian path last week.

Mayor Molly Hughes said the recent rain prompted public works workers to keep an eye on an area of the bluff between Gould and Clapp streets, so they noticed right away when it slid significantly.

“Until we can do something more permanent, we put up sawhorse barriers,” she said.

In the coming weeks the town may close off the area to heavy vehicles and may even close a portion of the road to all through traffic. A week later, there were no new updates to the situation.

“We could close two blocks and it would affect three residents,” Hughes said during Tuesday’s council meeting.

Erosion isn’t new to that area. In 2013, there was a significant slide that prompted town council members to approve an engineering study of the entire bluff. They also created a list of improvements to the area, including turning the road into a one-way street, re-striping the road to keep traffic along the house side of the road, moving the pedestrian walkway in and landscaping with plants that would help with stormwater runoff and erosion.

So far, the town has only accomplished changing the road to a one-way street.

Hughes said the town has money set aside to get some of these things accomplished.

“We’re probably going to do that sooner than later,” she said. “We’re going to move them way to the top of the list for spring. (But) it’s a bluff. There’s no guarantee of what it’s going to do or if what we do is going to work.”