Rising Willamette River has forced the city to close a portion of the Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade.

Portland Parks and Recreation crews put up fencing Tuesday afternoon near the Burnside Bridge. About a 1,500-foot section of the esplanade will be closed north of the Morrison Bridge to south of the Steel Bridge.

The closure probably will be in effect for about a week.

It's the first time in the esplanade's history that rising water has forced such a closure. City officials said the river is the highest it has been in the downtown area since 1996.