Downtown Detroit hit by massive sinkhole


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 A sinkhole has disrupted traffic just blocks from the North American International Auto Show in downtown Detroit.

The hole originally was about twice as big as a manhole cover but now measures about 14 feet by 10 feet and is on Randolph street at the intersection of Jefferson, next to the Coleman A. Young municipal building and the Millender Center, WWJ-AM reports.

?Well, unfortunately we are a pretty old city, we have older substructures underneath the roadways, and so at the moment we are not sure,? MDOT spokeswoman Diane Cross told WWJ. ?Age is always a factor ? that?s going to be the kind of thing that?s going to have to be determined as well.

The opening of the street reveled old brick work under the surface. The site would have been a settled part of Detroit going back almost to the city's founding in 1701.

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And last night potential weak spots around the sink hole caused a delay in heavy equipment coming in for repairs. Engineers will do a review this morning.

This sink hole could be a huge headache as sevetal utility runs are nearby which feed the City-County (govt.) Building, GM Headquarters and other major offices in the GM bldg. area.

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No fracking in this part of Michigan, though we do have earthquakes.

Also, Detroit has hundreds of miles of ancient water and storm drains which fracture in this cold weather. Water main breaks are a way of life, and some cause sink holes.

Fracking map

Michigan_fracturing_map.jpg

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Detroit is literally going to hell. :p

Nope, it's already Hell. If it sinks it'll stop in the salt mines 1,200 feet under the city. There's rumors they may be used as the BatCave in the Superman/Batman film.
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Cause 1: burst water line (a winter feature in these parts, and it was subzero)

Cause 2: collapsed manhole chamber

No fracking, no mole-men, no aliens. Just our usual winter follies.

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