Almost two weeks following destructive flooding in metro Detroit, officials say the cost for repairs will be more than half a million dollars.
RELATED: State, FEMA to begin damage assessments this week after flooding
Diane Cross, spokeswoman for MDOT, says that although final costs haven't yet been added up, early repair evaluations are already totaling $500,000.
After heavy rain hit metro Detroit on June 25, I-94 flooded, trapping cars, trucks and people in several inches of water. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and other elected officials pointed to infrastructure issues and climate change as the main causes of the flooding disaster.
“Our people are resilient, our infrastructure needs to be resilient as well,” Whitmer said.
In a press conference, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said that the city's average rainfall for the month of June was 3 inches. On June 26, Detroit received 6 inches of rainfall, with Duggan adding that Detroit got more than two months of rain in just one day – most of it within five hours.
Cross says that repairs are underway on I-94, and that includes concrete replacement. For example, after four days of flooding, concrete eroded on eastbound I-94 at Warren. The lanes in that area will need to be completely rebuilt. The repairs are expected to continue for at least another week. Great Lakes Contracting Solutions is the contractor on the job.
Whitmer has submitted a request for federal assistance, and assessments will be done this week.
The assessments will be completed by Michigan State Police, FEMA, U.S. Small Business Administration and officials in Wayne County.
The state says the assessments are one of the initial steps in the federal disaster declaration process.
