ROSEVILLE, Mich. (WXYZ) — Severe erosion near I-94 in Roseville is worrying officials and causing Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller to order emergency stabilization of the drain banks.
According to a press release from Miller’s office, there is continuing erosion of steep banks in the Rohrbeck Extension Drain. That’s near 13 Mile and Little Mack.
It reportedly drains the storm water from an approximately 3.7-square-mile area of Roseville. The Public Works office says erosion can more easily occur in parts of the Rohrbeck Extension Drain compared to other open drains in the county due to the initial construction of the freeway and sand that was used to build the embankment.
There’s two locations that are concerning officials:
- The bank located just east of Little Mack, approximately one-quarter mile north of 13 Mile Road, and only about 20 yards from the right shoulder of westbound I-94.
- The bank located south of 13 Mile Road, west of Little Mack, approximately 25 yards from the right shoulder of westbound I-94.
“This is an emergency,” Miller said in a press release. “Even though we’ve had drought conditions, we’ve seen these banks erode approximately 6 feet in some spots just in the past few months. We’re concerned that very heavy rains could accelerate that erosion.”
The concern is that if this issue is not addressed, the erosion could reach the right should of I-94 and cause a potential collapse of the shoulder or lanes.
Macomb County Public Works has reportedly reached out to a contractor to help stabilize the eroding banks. Work could begin as soon as this week.
“We need to fix it, quick,” Miller said in a press release. “A collapse of the freeway would cost millions of dollars to repair, let alone the huge disruption it would cause for commuters and the flow of commerce.”
