Sinkhole opens up in east Detroit

Hole in pavement is at Chene, Medbury streets

DETROIT – A sinkhole big enough to swallow a car opened up Monday afternoon at the intersection of Chene and Medbury streets on Detroit's east side.

A crew from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department is on scene.

A DWSD spokeswoman said an 18-inch water main broke, damaging the sewer and leading to this sinkhole in the pavement.

However, the department dose not see a need to closed the street to traffic.

"We analyzed it. We're able to determine if (we needed to close the street) ... we would put up more barricades or actually make the area a little safer to work on and walk on," said DWSD spokeswoman Curtrise Garner. "We're pretty comfortable with where everything is. We're comfortable with the amount of traffic coming by."

The department expects it will take a couple of days to fix the sewer damage and hole. Officials said Monday night that crews will be working on the damage until dark.

The 8-inch water main will be fixed by Monday night. On Tuesday, crews will set up for safety to begin to dig to repair.

Watch: Aerial video of the sinkhole

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