Williamson County Underground Cave Deemed Too Dangerous For Study

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TX — The ground around the entrance of an underground cave discovered after it partially collapsed is now shifting, prompting officials to ban anyone from entering it.

Officials said consultants are no longer allowed to enter the cave under Cambria Drive due to the shifting of the ground there. Sections of asphalt roadway and concrete have apparently fallen or threaten to fall as a result of the ground shifting, officials said.

A portion of Cambria Drive collapsed on Feb. 8 at around 3 a.m. near the Woods of Brushy Creek neighborhood situated between Highway 183 and Cedar Park on the west and Interstate 35 and Round Rock to the east after the previously underground cave partially collapsed. Officials said a leaking water line eroded the roof of the cave, disintegrating it drop by drop until it gave way and left a gaping sinkhole in the street.

Nobody was injured as a result of the road collapse.

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County Engineer Terron Everston will be working with structural engineers to determine a way to secure the cave opening so that consultants have a safe way to enter and exit the cave, officials said. Up to now, consultants had been entering the intermittently to study it and determine the best ways to stabilize it and plot out a road repair strategy.

But now, the cave has been deemed unsafe given the shifting earth around it. Earlier this week, officials released an aerial map of the cave site, illustrating the presence of homes located directly above the underground cave trail. Officials have not said if the ground is shifting in the area around the homes as well, or if those residents are in any danger the foundation there might be compromised as a result of the partially collapsed cave.

"Public safety continues to be our main concern,” Evertson said. “We are moving our barricades back a few feet in an abundance of caution. We appreciate the public’s patience while the road is closed, and their continued support in respecting the barricades and not trying to get closer to the cave entrance.”

The road will remain closed for several weeks while Williamson County works with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) on the remediation effort, officials said.

>>> Photo courtesy of Williamson County