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Public Works Office
Candice S. Miller
21777 Dunham Road, Clinton Township, MI 48036
(586) 469-5325

Contact: Dan Heaton

Phone: 586-469-7424

Email: Dan.Heaton@macombgov.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 18, 2019

Repairs Begun on Mound Road Sinkhole in Warren

 

Sinkhole before repairs began and under construction mid-day today, July 18.

 

Sinkhole before repairs began and under construction mid-day today, July 18.

The Macomb County Public Works Office has begun emergency repairs to a sinkhole that has developed on the shoulder of Mound Road, near Interstate 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.

The sinkhole is located on the shoulder of the road and traffic was not impeded. One lane of northbound Mound will be closed during the repair. The repair 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.

The underground pipe in that area carries the Bear Creek through Warren. Heavy rain hit the area on Saturday July 6, dumping about 2 inches of rain in a little more than an hour in a small area that ran more or less along I-696 through southern Macomb County. The same rain fall caused substantial basement flooding in Roseville, causing that community to declare a state of emergency. In Warren, the underground Bear Creek pipe appears to have had a small leak in a manhole cover connection where the pipe makes a turn under the road. Heavy rains on July 6 filled the pipe to capacity and blew out the leak, washing away a substantial amount of soil, ultimately causing the sinkhole in the shoulder road.

The Bear Creek is governed by an inter-county drain board that includes representatives of the state and of Oakland County, where the Bear Creek originates, as well as Commissioner Miller.

“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.

Total cost of the repair project is not yet known, but is expected to be well below $25,000.