$2M in damages from sinkhole in Powell, Michigan

© Christina Hall / Detroit Free Press

    
First, came the 32 Mile bridge closure.

Now drivers in northern Macomb County have to contend with another road closure a mile away thanks to a 4-foot-by-4-foot wide and 10-foot deep sinkhole.

"It's pretty deep," county Roads Department Director Bob Hoepfner said of the sinkhole on 33 Mile near Powell.

He said the county was notified of the sinkhole Wednesday night by Michigan State Police.

The sinkhole is blocked off by orange barricades and had a metal pole with yellow flags was sticking out of it this morning. Crews were coming onto the scene, and Hoepfner said he hoped the sinkhole would be repaired and the road reopened today.

He doesn't know what caused the sinkhole, but said additional traffic — especially heavy trucks — may have contributed. That traffic normally would be on 32 Mile, but the deteriorating bridge there is closed and may be so for at least a year, Hoepfner said.

He said the road department is going to design a new bridge structure for 32 Mile and rebuild the bridge "as soon as we possibly can." The cost, he said, is estimated at $2 million. The bridge is located on the border of Armada and Ray townships.

An inspection last month showed rusted-through steel beams are causing part of the bridge deck to settle, road department officials said.

The bridge handled about 15,000 vehicles daily and crosses the north branch of the Clinton River. Hoepfner guesstimated it was about 50 years old.

Last month, he said the closure of the bridge would have a "significant impact."

Though that gravel stretch of 33 Mile where the sinkhole is located is not part of the official bridge detour, Hoepfner said that he believes there has been significant additional traffic in that area, especially from heavy trucks going to and from area businesses.

He said about 350 vehicles pass daily on that part of 33 Mile, but he is guessing about 1,000 vehicles now are passing through daily with the 32 Mile bridge closure. He said getting the bridge reopened is a "priority."

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