Mueller development streets sinking

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Residents in one of Austin's most sought-after neighborhoods say their streets are literally sinking.

Complete sections of pavement in the Mueller Development in East Austin are buckling right in front of their eyes.

Neighbors say it started last January, and the work to fix the streets is still not done.

Two spots in that community are seeing the worst problems, at Hargis Road and at the corner of Threadgill and McCloskey Streets.

"It's new and you wouldn't think you'd get these problems on new streets," said Mueller resident Rob Clinchard, who lives on Hargis Road. "As you go from the middle of the street over...it sinks more and more as you get closer to the curb."

Road closed signs and detours line some of the streets around Mueller.

Water is so deep at the intersection of McCloskey and Threadgill, "I think they call it Lake McCloskey over there," said resident Alison Thompson.

"It just sits there," said resident Mary Wood.

Homeowners just want a fix on streets that were built by a private contractor, Rodman Construction.

Rodman is now in a fight with the city over who should pay for repair work, and reports say that contractor may be going out of business. David Whitsett asid the city is making Rodman go through a permit process to test the sub-soil underneath the roads, and it could be another two to three weeks before they have the answer.

Whitsett is uncertain himself whether Rodman will be on the hook or the city, which cleaned up the site in preparation for construction. Significant infrastructure improvements were made to move the land from airport to development.

"That's the million dollar question right now," Whitsett said. The city owns the road, but Whitsett aded, "We have an obligation to the Mueller development."

Rodman was supposed to finish a "punchlist" of work before handing it over to the city for ownership, Austin Public Works Spokeswoman Sara Hartley.

"We certainly want the residents to have their streets in a safe working order," said Hartley.

The city's public works department says they're designing a way to repair the problem. But still battling over who pays for it.

"It's still up in the air," said Hartley. "Because of the fact there are legal issues here, it could be if we are able to have the contractor pay for portions of it, or the city could be paying for some of the repairs as well."

And as Mueller continues to grow, neighbors say their potholes aren't getting any smaller.

"Try and settle this," said Clinchard. "Whoever's at fault, own up to it."