A large crater has left part of Clement Road near Main Street impassable in Northville, Michigan, and Wayne County now says it expects to finish rebuilding the road’s drainage system by the end of November, weather permitting.
The damage first showed up in July as a divot in the pavement with a gap between the asphalt and the soil beneath it. Crews filled part of the area, but the patch eroded, and heavy rains caused the road to cave in again. Neighbors say the opening is now about the size of an in-ground pool and that little visible work has happened over the past three weeks.
The Wayne County Department of Public Services recently inspected the section to map the condition and layout of old stormwater pipes under the road and to address a slope failure on the west side. The county plans to replace the stormwater pipe beneath the road, install a full drainage system with catch basins as part of new pavement, restore the road embankment and repave the street.
Barricades, concrete barriers, traffic cones and caution tape surround the work zone, and drivers and pedestrians must use alternate routes. Residents say school buses and emergency responders now have to detour around the closure, and some homeowners have had to make special arrangements for trash pickup.
Neighbors also say some drivers have been cutting through the closed area despite the signs. One resident who lives at the low point of the street said runoff from the washout destroyed her patio and pushed thick mud up to her basement door.