Giant sinkhole on Houston roadway won't be fixed for several weeks; business owner reacts

HOUSTON - Last week, a giant hole opened in the middle of the roadway on Fondren Road near Woodway Drive. 

We're now learning it could be several weeks before it's repaired. 

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Houston Public Works sent the following statement about the hole which is about egith feet wide and 24 feet deep.

"Houston Public Works crews are backfilling the hole caused by a damaged wastewater line along Fondren Rd near Woodway Drive. There are multiple steps needed before repairs can be completed. There are repairs to the damaged wastewater line, but crews must also protect other utilities in the area. There is a large AT&T conduit in the area and our team is working with them to as they complete their inspection and give the go-ahead. Crews will then work on installing a new manhole which will connect to a wastewater line underneath Fondren Road. The full repairs to the road will take several weeks to complete.

Our investigation continues into the failure of the 24" wastewater line that caused the street to collapse. The investigation includes looking into the development of the line, previous inspections, and taking steps to proactively find issues in the future. The City is presently undertaking one of the most progressive planning and largest infrastructure replacement, cleaning, inspection, remediation, repair, and rehabilitation efforts in the country as part of meeting the requirements of the 2021 Consent Decree."

Dewey Stringer owns the office building right next to what has now become a construction zone.

"I hope it's sooner because it is an impact on our building, and it's going to hurt occupancy," Stringer said. 

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He also says drivers are becoming impatient.

"Traffic getting in and out, it's really the people wanting to get by to Memorial; when they get here, they get frustrated and cut through our parking lot at high speed," Stringer explained. 

Dewey says despite having to wait weeks more for this problem to be patched up, he's happy with how city officials have handled the situation. 

"City of Houston & police officers were here almost as fast as it happened, blocking traffic, so I have really nothing but admiration for our city in action," said Stringer.