7 Action News is hearing from more drivers who say their cars have been damaged by road concrete breaking apart on I-696.
They say it happened to them in recent weeks on I-696 in Oakland and Macomb Counties.
“All of a sudden here was a load thud. I was thinking I hit a pothole, but the car didn’t dip,” said Jim Demres, a driver who says it happened to him on I-696 between Mound and Ryan in Warren.
“It went right through the front bumper, left a hole,” said Demres.
When he turned on 7 Action news and realized it wasn’t an isolated incident. He decided he needed to speak out to make sure people realize this is a real danger.
“If that stone would have skipped a little bit higher and went over a couple feet, we wouldn’t be having this interview now,” said Demres.
Others had the same response.
“It came through here,” said Keyana McHale. “… it was about ten pounds.”
McHale says it happened to her as she drove on eastbound I-696 near Gratiot last month. The concrete was lodged behind her bumper. She has told MDOT they can have it to verify it came up from the road.
“It is scary,” said McHale.
“All of a sudden I heard this loud boom,” said Kevin Tozer as he described what happened to him on I-696 near Evergreen. “It happened so fast. You can’t watch out for these chunks of concrete.”
Tozer says he can’t stop thinking about what could have happened when a chunk of concrete smashed through his windshield as he drove eastbound on i-696 near evergreen if his children and wife had been in the car.
“She could have been in the front seat and injured or killed. A lot of that goes through your mind,” said Tozer.
These drivers say they know MDOT plan to repair and replace concrete on I-696 in Oakland and Macomb County soon— but warn right now it is dangerous.
For Demres, it is almost poetic. Forty-years ago he covered the opening of I-696 as a young radio reporter. Now he is making headlines as the road crumbles.
“After 40 years, certainly the roads are going to need some repair and all the cold patching in the world isn’t going to make any difference,” said Demres.
