TAYLOR — The Michigan Department of Transportation says a sinkhole beneath Telegraph Road in Taylor is forcing an emergency road closure that could last weeks, a month, or even longer.
The Michigan Department of Transportation says crews discovered a void roughly 3 to 4 feet deep beneath the pavement on the stretch of Telegraph between Eureka and Pennsylvania. The sinkhole is not visible as you're driving on the road.
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MDOT photos show how the road's base has eroded away.
MDOT will close both NB US-24 and the ramp from NB I-75 to NB-US24.
Diane Cross with MDOT said the situation is considered an emergency and crews will work to investigate the extent of the problem.
"It is considered an emergency because it is something that ultimately could impact driver safety. But at the moment we're okay. But we have got to get traffic off of northbound Telegraph, north of Pennsylvania," Cross said.
MDOT said the void spans all four lanes of traffic.
"The pavement still there, but underneath there, we no longer have the support holding up that pavement and it goes across all four lanes of traffic," Cross said.
According to MDOT, road crews were about to do pavement work in the area when a crew member noticed the crack.
Kim Slessor drives this stretch of road daily and the thought of a sinkhole worries her.
"It's kinda scary. You don't know when it's gonna give out. You don't know when you're going to fall into the sinkhole," Slessor said.
"Thank God he saw it, and caught it before more people got — before people got hurt or potentially hurt," Slessor said.
The closure is expected to create headaches for the tens of thousands of drivers who use this main thoroughfare. Some drivers are also wondering how long the problem has been developing.
Valarie Rhinehart of Brownstown said she has questions about the timeline.
"I imagine it's been there for a long time and I don't know if the road has been sinking and they haven't noticed it or not," Rhinehart said.
"I'm gonna have to find a lot of different ways to get places but at least I have lived here all my life but this is the quickest way to get most places," Rhinehart said.
MDOT suggests these detours: NB I-75 traffic can detour to Eureka Road. NB US-24/Telegraph traffic can use other local E/W roads for a detour.
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