DETROIT – Residents on Detroit’s west side have been living with a sinkhole since the start of the year.
“This hole has been here since Jan. 8, 2021,” Andre Campbell said.
Campbell lives on Plainview Avenue, near Tireman Road.
“I called the city plenty of times. They never came out and did nothing,” Campbell said.
The hole goes deep into the ground. There are white and orange barricades up to warn drivers.
“Inconvenient driving around it and everything,” Campbell said. “Somebody is going to get hurt in it.”
Local 4 spoke with Gary Brown, the director of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD).
“I don’t doubt that. I saw a complaint in the system from this past summer, in July. Of course, it wasn’t as bad as it is today. It got worse over time. It should have been addressed by now. I’m not making any excuses,” Brown said.
Brown said COVID put a strain on their resources and staffing and then the flooding over the summer put them even more behind.
“It’s a dangerous situation and we’ve got to get it addressed. I got crews on the way,” Brown said.
Crews did arrive on Friday night. They placed a steel plate over the hole. Brown said it’s a temporary solution.
Brown said they’ll return on Monday to start rebuilding the manhole. He said his department is asking the leaders in Lansing to release the funds needed to fix the aging infrastructure in Detroit.
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