Viral video of Dearborn Heights man fixing pothole catches city's attention
A young Dearborn Heights man is going viral on social media after taking pothole repairs into his own hands.
The TikTok video has been viewed more than 200,000 times and has caught the city's attention.
Ali Chahine, 18, says he was driving down Cherry Hill Road near Beech Daly Street when his car started shaking. He decided to do something about it.
"The potholes are so deep, I've had a bunch of flat tires from them," Chahine said. "I just kind of got tired of it. So on my way back, you know what I was thinking, 'Why don't I just go and, like, just go to Home Depot, record a funny video about it,'" Chahine said.
Chahine documented his trip as he purchased asphalt to fill the hole.
"I looked at the bucket, there was like a picture of you flattening it. So I'm like, seems easy enough," Chahine said.
The section of Cherry Hill Road is owned by both Inkster and Dearborn Heights. CBS News Detroit talked to Dearborn city officials, who say a $2.6 million federal grant was awarded to the city. A project to fully reconstruct the road is in the works, they say.
"Historically, I think the roads in the area have taken a beating over the last decade or so," said John Danci, director of the Department of Public Works in Dearborn Heights.
"It does take a little bit of time to go through their bidding process, but those funds have been allocated based on the federal aid committee's timeline and plan," Danci said.
Danci says that although Chahine had good intentions, crews will need to put a cold patch over his work.
"This is the time of year with a lot of the temporary patching starts to pop out of the ground, just from the freeze and thaw, and then the rain comes, and if it gets pulled up at night," Danci said.
Danci says the best and safest way to get a pothole repaired is to contact the city, county or state directly.
Chahine, he says, at very least, his DIY pothole repair raised awareness.
"That makes me like, feel very happy that like, what I'm saying is actually being heard, instead of just, like, going in one ear and out the other," Chahine said.
Danci says Chahine is also welcome to apply to the Department of Public Works.