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NEDERLAND — A solution has been found for a piece of roadway that has been a problem for the city of Nederland for years.

The problem is a manhole on South Fifth Street that is now a sinkhole of sorts. Barricades surround the section of street and a metal plate covers the problem area.

City Manager Chris Duque said the manhole area has been a problem since the 1990s and this marks the third time repair will be done.

“This time we’re taking a much more different engineering approach to it,” Duque said.

The approach is to get rid of the manhole altogether.

Since the sinkhole issue was identified, the public works staff has attempted to identify the cause of this repeated issue on South Fifth Street and solicited engineering assistance from Soutex Surveyors & Engineers, Duque said.

The original bid opening was set for Aug. 29 but no bids were submitted. The bidding process was restarted and two bids were received. The lowest responsible bidder was Allco LLC in the amount of $191,940.

Public Works Director Rob Woods said the issue was settlement in the type of soil where the manhole was placed. So instead of placing another manhole there the company will put the pipe back in and take the weight of the manhole off.

Eliminating the manhole will not create a problem, Woods said, as the city will be well within the spacing requirements per Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

The new contract with Allco is for 45 days.

The city has been in contact with homeowners in close proximity to the sinkhole and will update them when a start date is set.

Monies for the repair will come from the Street Repair Fund.