Editor's note: This story was updated at 4:50 p.m. with comments from Enbridge.
Lane closures on Interstate 94 just east of Chelsea in Lima Township are set for Thursday and Friday nights as workers fix a dip in the roadway where a crude oil pipeline was recently installed.
Enbridge Pipelines Toledo Inc., the company that had installed the pipeline as a part of its Line 79 expansion project, has hired a contractor to do the work, said Mark Sweeney, manager of the Michigan Department of Transportation’s Brighton post.
Westbound Interstate 94 at mile 163 as of May 3 in Lima Township. There's a small sinkage in I-94 at the site where Enbridge directionally drilled underneath the road to install a new pipeline.
Courtney Sacco | AnnArbor.com file photo
The company is the only entity with a recent permit for work at the site of the sinkage, Sweeney said.
Enbridge opted to contract and pay for the repair of the road, Sweeney said.
“There was no assigning of blame and responsibility,” Sweeney said. “Enbridge has recognized there’s a problem and they’re working with us on a solution.”
Enbridge released the following statement Thursday:
"We are working with MDOT to address the situation as quickly as possible. MDOT identified a repair procedure to and we are carrying out that work now. We will continue to work with MDOT to ensure the road remains safe for public use."
Enbridge had drilled horizontally underneath I-94 in Lima Township to place a new 20-inch diameter pipe that will be a part a new Line 79 system connecting cross-country Line 6B with refineries in Detroit and Toledo. Line 79 is 35 miles long.
When the pipe was placed underneath I-94, the disturbance and removal of soil from beneath the roadway may have created voids.
The voids compromised the integrity of the pavement and, with the high-traffic volume on the road, caused it to sag, Sweeney said.
“The road itself is not damaged -- it’s the base beneath the roadway,” Sweeney said.
Overnight lane closures beginning on westbound I-94 and then eastbound I-94 this week have been in place as the contracted company repairs the road:
- Single lane closure from 9 p.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. Friday on eastbound I-94 just east of Fletcher Road
- Single lane closure from 9 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Saturday on eastbound I-94 just east of Fletcher Road
After drilling into the pavement to see the extent of the void, a solution is injected into the space to fill it and provide support to the road.
“It’s a proven method,” Sweeney said, noting MDOT has used the procedure before.
Enbridge’s contractor is conducting the work under the permit Enbridge had to complete the drilling underneath the roadway, Sweeney said.
“This is not a situation that we deal with often,” Sweeney said.
View Eastbound I-94 lane closures for Enbridge road repairs in a larger map
Amy Biolchini covers Washtenaw County, health and environmental issues for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at (734) 623-2552, amybiolchini@annarbor.com or on Twitter.