Crews begin digging where road buckled in Southwest Detroit, cause still unknown

DETROIT – Nearly three weeks ago, the ground in Southwest Detroit heaved into the air. It buckled the road, destroyed buildings, and left residents with questions as to what caused it.

There still aren’t clear answers as to what caused the destruction. Bernard Juozapaitis lives near where the ground shifted and said he has noticed that large piles of iron and metal at the scrapyard in the area seem to have sunk.

“The pile was like this high and the next day it was this high. So it pushed down,” he said.

City of Detroit Chief Operating Officer Hakim Berry said the ground is soft. He is in charge of finding out the cause, cure, and where a ground shift might happen again.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan pointed to weight on top of the soft ground. Heavy trucks run in the area nonstop and the metal at Fort, Iron and Metal is piled high.

Berry said they believe the business could be a victim of the soft ground as well. Not the cause.

“It’s a victim. You can build a building on soft ground, you just have to know you’re building on soft ground,” Berry said. “If I lived in this area I would watch and make sure that I don’t see any anomalies in my home.”

Read: More Local 4 Defenders coverage

Previous coverage

• Officials search for answers after ground shift in Detroit neighborhood causes damage
• Progress being made in efforts to secure site of ground shift in Detroit, city officials say
• Residents, community leaders call for evacuations in Detroit neighborhood after ground shift significantly damages area
• Southwest Detroit gas pipe shut off after unexplained ground shift continues to pose problems
• Crews demolish building at site of road buckling in southwest Detroit
• Stash Detroit dispensary employees watch as business is demolished after mysterious underground incident
• Southwest Detroit gas pipe shut off after unexplained ground shift continues to pose problems
• DTE, other agencies investigate apparent underground explosion in Southwest Detroit
• Cause of ‘strong odor’ reported in Southwest Detroit under investigation