ROSEVILLE, Mich. (WXYZ) — Earlier this month, 7 Action News told you about a drain along I-94 in Roseville where inspectors spotted erosion so severe they warned it had the potential to put the integrity of the interstate at risk.
Now, work is underway to fix it.
The problem is the drain in the area of 13 Mile Road and I-94 has a curve. As water from 4 square miles of Roseville flows through it during rains, the water hits that curve with force, eroding soil.
Roseville Public Works Department employees noticed after rain, feet of ground washed away in a couple areas in just a matter of weeks.
During a press conference, Roseville Mayor Robert Taylor said thank goodness it was found and now is being fixed.
“This is very important for everybody here folks,” Taylor said.
“When they built I-94 years ago, they backfilled it with sand. So what happens is any time there is any activity in the drain, the bank is shelving off 2 foot, 4 foot, 6 foot, lost,” said Candice Miller, the Macomb County Public Works commissioner.
Miller says her inspectors ruled it an emergency, determining it needed to be fixed to protect the integrity of I-94.
“The severity of what we are looking at when you have I-94 involved could be catastrophic,” said Harold Haugh, vice chair of the Macomb County Commission.
The county now has hired L.J Construction to straighten out the drain and put thousands of boulders known as riprap in place to protect the soil when it rains.
The work is expected to be complete in about three weeks.
