CHARLOTTE – A deteriorating section of drain that’s nearly 150 years old has created a six-foot wide sinkhole in the middle of a roadway on the city’s west side and fixing it will mean rerouting traffic to and from the city’s largest employer.
The sinkhole, located at the intersection of West Shepherd and Mikesell streets, just up the road from Spartan Motors, is at least four feet deep, said Eaton County Deputy Drain Commissioner Eric Deibel, and about six feet wide.
Charlotte and county officials said it isn’t a cause for alarm.
City staff first noticed the sinkhole earlier this month, said Charlotte City Manager Gregg Guetschow.
“It became evident that there was a depression in the pavement,” he said.
That gave way to the sinkhole, Guetschow said, that city staff have filled with dirt and covered with plywood. The entire area is surrounded with orange traffic cones.