Tens of thousands of drivers now face indefinite detours because of sinkholes on Detroit freeway ramps.
The Michigan Department of Transportation previously announced a sinkhole that would require about weeklong closures of the ramps to eastbound Interstate 96 from northbound and southbound Southfield Freeway, or M-39.
But it’s actually two sinkholes and, according to an MDOT spokeswoman, the cause requires more than the concrete repairs initially thought.
The beginnings of the sinkholes were discovered Monday, Nov. 10, in the two right lanes of the local lane entrance ramps from M-39 to eastbound I-96, according to the department.
A photo provided by Diane Cross, MDOT communications representative for the metro Detroit area, shows the sinkholes weren’t perhaps the craters that might come to mind. It’s the undermined earth below that posed the risk of becoming such craters if crews hadn’t blocked the road off, by Cross’ description
A 911 call alerted officials to the problem, said Cross.
The sinkholes have expanded significantly in width and sunk 3 feet deep at their lowest point, according to the department.
The cause? A break in a 6-foot drainage pipe that sits 45 feet below the roadway and is used to carry water away from the road.
Crews now have to clear the pipe of debris, investigate the cause of the break and fix that break before they can fix the road, Cross said.
Until the work wraps up, MDOT has updated one part of their detour directions to send motorists to a road that can handle a bigger volume of traffic, said Cross.
Northbound Southfield Freeway traffic trying to use the eastbound I-96 ramp can detour to westbound I-96 and then take an exit to turn around and get on eastbound I-96. While MDOT previously told drivers to take exits like Evergreen Road or Outer Drive to turn around, it now says Telegraph Road, U.S. 24, is the best route.
Southbound Southfield Freeway traffic can take I-96 express lanes — not the local lanes — with the first exit to get off being Davison, or M-8.
The timeline for the fix is unknown and dependent on the weather and the repairs deemed necessary.
Cross noted that tens of thousands of drivers use that stretch of road, and the closures will, unfortunately, be a significant inconvenience.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Sinkholes will keep Southfield Freeway ramps to eastbound I-96 closed indefinitely
Reporting by Darcie Moran, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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