Macomb County marks milestone in Fraser sinkhole repair

FRASER, Mich. (WJBK) - Macomb County is marking a major milestone in the daunting repair effort at the Fraser sinkhole.

They've now fixed the massive sewer interceptor line and FOX 2 got an up close look at all the progress.

There was excitement Tuesday as sewage flows once again at the site of the sinkhole.

"What we have here now is a normal construction site," said Candice Miller, Macomb County public works commissioner. "It is no longer any type of a crisis."

The county placed a new 300 foot pipe deep in the ground. They also relined another 3,700 feet of pipe along 15 Mile.

"Once we inspected that, we found that it was also an imminent danger of another collapse, another sinkhole," Miller said. "We fixed that."

It was Christmas Eve  last year when the sewer line collapsed, opening a huge hole in the ground and destroying the sewer interceptor line.

Public Works Commisioner Candice Miller says she's proud of the response - saying it was called by some a three-year project.

"We are here nine months after this thing first came to our attention," she said.

Miller says the project is ahead of schedule and under budget with a price tag of about $75 million. To cover the cost, she estimates customers will be charged $25 extra per year, for 25 years, but she says it was money well spent.

"This is probably going to be the strongest piece of infrastructure in the entire state of Michigan," Miller said. "We're not going to have another sinkhole on 15 Mile Road. This is the third time as everyone knows, this has happened to this community."

Miller says she's also proud the county hired local contractors and bought only American products. She thanked residents for being so patient.

The project should be completed and 15 Mile Road rebuilt by Christmas.