The City Commission on Wednesday ratified an emergency roadway repair project totaling about $719,000 after significant ground settlement damaged a residential street and underground utilities. 

The project targets Wolf Creek Court, a roadway in the Cimarron Hill subdivision that has experienced worsening structural issues tied to unstable soil conditions, according to city documents.  

The contract for the work is with Smith Site Development South, LLC, with construction costs estimated at $653,463.10. A 10% contingency brings the total to about $719,000. Additional geotechnical engineering costs push the overall project estimate to about $772,000, but the commission only approved $719,000. 

Construction is expected to require a full closure of Wolf Creek Court for roughly three weeks. During that time, six residents will not have vehicle access to their homes, according to the staff report.  

City officials have not indicated whether alternative access arrangements will be provided during the closure. 

The item appeared on the commission’s consent agenda, meaning it could be approved without discussion unless pulled by a commissioner for separate consideration. 

City staff initiated the emergency designation on April 9 to expedite repairs, citing public safety concerns and the need to prevent further infrastructure damage.  

The roadway, originally constructed in 1986, sits adjacent to what engineers describe as a “relic sinkhole,” a natural depression that had previously been filled during construction. Over time, that underlying material has shifted, leading to visible cracking and gradual settlement. 

Since 2025, the issue has intensified. A conical depression about 10 feet in diameter has formed in the roadway, with the surface dropping between two and three feet, according to a geotechnical analysis conducted by Newkirk Engineering Inc.  

“Newkirk Engineering, Inc., used ground penetrating radar, which did not indicate the presence of a sinkhole,” the City Commission staff reported stated. “It appears the roadway depression was likely due to the settlement of the near-surface sands and roadway into one of the very loose soil zones, and/or soft organic soils, that are typically found in and around relic sinkholes.” 

The shifting ground has also impacted nearby infrastructure, including a sanitary sewer line, the report stated.  

To address the problem, the city plans a full reconstruction of the affected section. The repair will involve excavating soil to below the sewer line, installing filter fabric and geosynthetic reinforcement to stabilize the base, and rebuilding the roadway with a combination of compacted earth and lightweight fill material known as Aero Aggregate.  

Under the city’s procurement policy, emergency purchases exceeding $50,000 must be presented to the commission for after-the-fact approval.  

The Wolf Creek Court project’s emergency designation allows the city to bypass standard competitive bidding requirements in situations where immediate action is necessary to protect public safety or restore essential services, as stated in the city policy.  

Since the project has been ratified, it will be funded through a budget amendment for the current fiscal year, according to the staff report.