Crews have built a new cover for the cave that has opened up underneath homes in a Williamson County neighborhood.
The cavern was initially discovered Feb. 8 when a 20-foot hole opened up to reveal the cave. Several days later, engineers discovered a fourth chamber in the cave, making it 200 feet long.
The old cover for the cave, located at the intersection of Cambria Drive and Ephraim Road, was getting soggy due to recent rain, according to the county.
"It's going to be kind of a joint system, so that it can take a larger load on top of it as we put a ladder down and take people and equipment down," said Williamson County county engineer Terron Evertson.
Crews said this new cover is supposed to remain in place even through the heavy rain forecasted for the area.
RELATED:
This comes after the county told KVUE last week they would not enter the cave because the foundation has shifted.
The county pushed in the sides of the cave opening on Tuesday as a result.
"We have stabilized the entrance by getting rid of the material that was loose around the edge," said Evertson.
Due to that activity, the cave opening expanded by about 20 feet, making it 60 feet long.
The cave sits below three home properties. The county has yet to decide how to repair Cambria Drive.
"Right now we're still in a data gathering stage," Everston said. "Still working with our agencies like TCEQ and Fish and Wildlife. And so until we kind of get past that and come up with some options, it's hard to let them know exactly what the next steps are until we've had better consultation with those two groups."