DETROIT – The city of Detroit has put a lid on an open manhole downtown after Local 4 reported the issue.
The manhole is on a sidewalk along Michigan Avenue near Cass Avenue.
It was easy to miss, especially at night, if you were not paying close attention.
One wrong step could put you in a hole several feet deep and possibly with some injuries.
“It is pretty bad. You can definitely hurt yourself, ain’t no question about that,” Detroit resident Montain Bridges said.
The manhole is located near two bus stops and the Rosa Parks Transit Center.
It’s not unusual to see bus riders running with their eyes firmly on a soon-to-be-departed bus instead of the ground.
“That’s highly dangerous for the populace, anybody coming down here if they’re not paying attention, they can fall down in the hole,” Detroit resident John Turner said.
I noticed the open manhole Wednesday (Dec. 4) night while walking home, just feet away from stepping in.
The only thing that alerted me to the danger was an orange cone.
By Thursday morning, the uncovered manhole remained, but someone had put a scooter over it as a warning to pedestrians to prevent someone from getting hurt.
“I mean a broken leg or a broken jaw, you fall and hit the sides of the steel,” Turner said.
We reached out to the Department of Public Works.
The city sent a crew to secure the area with more cones and caution tape shortly after the city placed a lid on the manhole.
A city spokesperson said a utility company is responsible for the manhole but couldn’t determine which one.
If you spot an uncovered manhole, you should report it to the city.