Repairs to continue Tuesday on I-96 sinkhole with additional lane closures
Repairs continue on Tuesday morning on a sinkhole on I-96, as more lane and ramp closures are needed to bring in equipment for the work.
In November, a Michigan Department of Transportation engineer discovered a dip in the road. Further investigation revealed extensive repairs were needed.
"On the eastbound I-96 ramp from north Southfield. In that right lane, the ground was not level, so we closed the right lane and the right shoulder on that ramp, east 96 from northbound and 39," said Diane Cross, with the MDOT communications department.
When crews started digging up the concrete, they found more than they bargained for.
"It's sinking that unfortunately it took about 50 feet down. There's a sewer main that had collapsed, and all that Earth supporting the concrete sunk down into that, that sewage line," Cross said.
Sheet metal is being brought in with a large crane for added protection.
"It's about a 50-year-old sewage line, so we're going to try to put another layer of steel around it to protect it," Cross said.
The work will cause closures that could add extra time to your commute.
"Starting Tuesday morning, east 96, those local lanes at Southfield, you have to either go north or south to Southfield, or you have to get on to the express lanes, which means your next exit is Davidson," Cross said.
Repairs are expected to be completed sometime in March.
"There's a lot of work that can be done in the cold. It's hard on the humans, but equipment can still work. But there are some things, and we won't know until they maybe encounter them, that could end up delaying it, and that's why we're just saying sometime in March," Cross said.
This is just one of several projects in the works for MDOT. Preliminary work on a big three-year project on I-94 is expected to begin soon. A public information session is scheduled for Tuesday from 1 to 3 p.m. in Allen Park at the Department of Public Works.
Sinkhole repairs will begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
