Repairs on a massive sinkhole that developed in Fraser, Michigan, 10 months ago following a sewer main collapse are finally coming to an end.

According to a report in the Macomb Daily News, crews are currently paving the section of 15 Mile Road where the sinkhole occurred with an expectation that the road will be fully open to traffic by the first week of December.

The project is coming under the yearlong repair timeline and the $75 million price tag that was initially projected. Costs are now anticipated to be about $70 million.

“I cannot tell you how pleased we are to be able to report to the community that this process is nearing an end,” Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller said in a statement.

When the football-field-sized sinkhole developed on Christmas Eve of last year, it displaced two dozen residents for several weeks. The damage caused three houses to be condemned, two of which were demolished. The pipe that collapsed impacted sewer service for 500,000 residents and businesses in 11 different communities served by the Macomb Interceptor Drain Drainage District.

As part of the sinkhole repair, the district has also been conducting a thorough inspection of 17 miles of pipe surrounding 15 Mile Road to identify other areas that could be a potential problem. That process is expected to be completed this winter and a work plan will be compiled.

Source: Macomb Daily News