WARREN, Mich. (WXYZ) — Emergency repairs have begun on a sinkhole on the shoulder of Mound Road, near I-696 in Warren.
The sinkhole is in the shoulder of the road and is about 10 feet long and 5 feet wide, centered around a storm sewer manhole. The sinkhole is located on the west side of northbound Mound Road, just south of I-696 and north of 10 Mile Road in Warren.
One lane of northbound Mound will be closed during the repair, which is scheduled to be completed by the middle of next week.
“Unfortunately, our underground infrastructure is showing signs of its age. This is one reason we are on an aggressive schedule to inspect all of our underground system. Fortunately, we are catching this problem while it is relatively small,” said Candice S. Miller, the Macomb County Public Works Commissioner, in a release.
The underground pipe in that area carries the Bear Creek through Warren. On July 6, heavy rain dumped two inches of rain in a small area that ran along I-696 through southern Macomb County. The underground Bear Creek pipe reportedly had a small leak in a manhole cover connection where the pipe makes a turn under the road. The heavy rains filled the pipe to capacity and blew out the leak, washing away a substantial amount of soil, ultimately causing the sinkhole.
“We have been working with the Bear Creek board for a while now on developing a long-term plan to increase the capacity of the Bear Creek, to prevent issues like this. This is just another reminder of why our underground infrastructure may be out of sight but cannot be out of mind. In the meantime, when it comes to any issue in our drains, we find ‘em and we fix ‘em,” Miller said.
The total cost of the repair is expected to be well below $25,000.
