Sinkholes have Oakland County suburbs scrambling

FERNDALE, Mich. – From potholes to sinkholes, there's no denying the roads just keeps getting worse.

It's a growing problem for many metro Detroit suburbs. And now Ferndale can be added to the list of cities with numerous dangerous sinkholes.

Although they can be fixed rather easily, it will cost these cities some serious money to repair the problem.

In Ferndale, the sinkholes are spreading quicker than they can be patched. And if they are not already covered by orange barrels, they are dangerously left out in the open waiting for someone to fall in.

"The ground was weak there already," said concerned Ferndale resident, Chuck Donelson. "That's what gave way when we had our first rainstorm."

This is especially dangerous near the downtown Ferndale area, where these roads are regularly traveled by many people at all times of night, especially on weekends.

Since spring, 45 sinkholes have been reported, and our recent string of treacherous Michigan weather is partly to blame. After the storms, some of them have surfaced right away, while others are just now popping up and will take some time for road crews to fix.

"As far as I'm concerned, the city has addressed the problem in a reasonable amount of time," said Donelson.

People living among these torn up roads have been patient, but are not going to take too kindly to any more sinkholes that go unrepaired.

In Royal Oak, 15 sinkholes have recently been reported and residents are worried the problem will only continue. In other cities, such as Huntington Woods and Berkley, they are also experiencing similar issues along busy roads like 12 Mile and Woodward Avenue.

Road crews in Ferndale have been working diligently the last two weeks, and have already repaired more than 10 of the reported problems.

They hope to have the remaining sinkholes fixed by July.


About the Authors:

Hank Winchester is Local 4’s Consumer Investigative Reporter and the head of WDIV’s “Help Me Hank” Consumer Unit. Hank works to solve consumer complaints, reveal important recalls and track down thieves who have ripped off people in our community.