Watch CBS News

Huge Pothole Flattens Tires, Stranding Multiple Motorists On I-75

DETROIT (WWJ) - Another day, another big pothole problem on a Detroit freeway.

Tuesday morning, a series of potholes were flattening tires along a section of southbound I-75 near 7 Mile Road in the city, stranding multiple motorists.

Above the scene in Chopper 950, WWJ's Bill Szumanski said he saw seven cars side off to the side of the road at the Nevada overpass.

Colleen Stevens of Novi, unfortunately, was one of those who hit a particularly large one that seemed to be causing a majority of the damage.

"Apparently there's a big hole back there," she told WWJ's Vickie Thomas, a little ways down the freeway, where she'd been forced to pull over. "It looks like a whole bunch of us hit that same pothole."

I-75 flat tire
A motorists who hit a pothole on I-75 gets help changing a tire. (credit: Vickie Thomas/WWJ)

Was it deep?

"Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah...I felt like I was going to the bottom of the earth," Stevens said. "I think it blew out everybody's tires; so thank God for MDOT (the Michigan Department of Transportation)!"

She thanked the MDOT courtesy driver Earnest McIntyre who changed her tire and got her back on the road.

McIntyre said he started his shift at 8 a.m.; and by 8:30 a.m. he'd already changed four tires in that same location.

"No choice," he said of drivers hitting the hole. "You're going to hit it regardless. With everyone backed up bumper to bumper there's no time to miss it."

The pothole in question was in the far right lane just before the 7 Mile Road ramp, along with a second one about the same size.

A spokesperson MDOT said they were sending out a crew to repair the holes, but no repairs had been made as of 10 a.m.

This comes after, during the evening rush on Monday, a massive pothole on the Rouge River Bridge had the two right lanes blocked on northbound I-75 near Dearborn Street. WWJ's Lance Howard reported that hole was 10 feet long and half-a-lane wide.

For the latest from the roads, stay with WWJ Newsradio 950 during Traffic and Weather on the 8s, 24-hours a day. Check for recent incidents now on the CBS Detroit Traffic Page.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.