Massive Pothole On I-94 'Taking Out Cars Left And Right'
DETROIT (WWJ) - A massive pothole on a popular stretch of I-94 in Detroit was Friday, as one driver put it, "swallowing up every other car that attempts to cross it."
The problem pothole was reported in the left lane of eastbound I-94 just past I-75. Traffic Reporter Bill Szumanski, who was over the scene in WWJ's Chopper 950, said disabled cars lined up along the freeway, all the way to the Chene Street exit.
"Cars are still coming up on that, bouncing into that hole and bouncing out. Some of them are then pulling over to change their tires or call for help," Szumanski said just before 7 a.m. Friday. "We're counting at least 13 now, off to the shoulder and in the right lane."
Szumanski said drivers are hitting the pothole at top-speed, which is severely damaging their vehicles.
Michael Chandler was on his way to work when he became one of the pothole's victims. He told WWJ's Mike Campbell the giant hole instantly flattened one of his tires.
"It was so big I just couldn't avoid it, and it was real deep," he said, adding that he has to wait for a tow-truck since he doesn't have a spare tire.
Police called to the scene, set up flares to direct traffic around the pothole, causing some backups as the heavy morning rush hour.
Randy Dupont said he popped two tires driving into the hole.
"I didn't see it. They can't bother to turn the lights on our here," he said. "I got out to change one of (the tires) and noticed another one was blown too."
An MDOT crew came out to patch the hole, but — a short time later — a second pothole was reported to be doing some damage just a little further east, near Harper.
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