WARREN, Mich. – Crews are working to repair a large sinkhole on the shoulder of Mound Road near I-696 in Warren.
The sinkhole is about 10 feet long and five feet wide, officials said. It's centered on a storm sewer manhole.
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The sinkhole is on the west side of northbound Mound Road, just south of I-696 and north of 10 Mile Road, officials said.
"Unfortunately, our underground infrastructure is showing signs of its age," Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller said. "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."
An underground pipe in the area carries the Bear Creek through Warren, officials said.
Heavy rain hit the area July 6, dumping about 2 inches of rain in a little more than an hour, according to authorities. The rain caused flooding in Roseville and prompted a state of emergency.
In Warren, the underground Battle Creek pipe appears to have had a small leak in a manhole cover connection where a pipe makes a turn under the road, officials said.
The July 6 rain filled the pipe and blew out through the break, washing away soil and causing the sinkhole, according to officials.
"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," Miller said. "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."
The total cost of the repair project is expected to be well below $25,000.