Drivers in Van Buren County are being advised of a road closure due to a large sink hole.
Van Buren County Road Commission Managing Director Bret Witkowski tells us the hole was noticed Friday morning on County Road 378 between 66th Street and CR 687 in Bangor Township.
The road is a major route that connects the Bangor area to Covert and South Haven. Witkowski says it’s now shut down due to the sink hole.
“There’s a county drain line, a drain pipe that has collapsed and underneath that then the road has collapsed,” Witkowski said. “We have obviously put Road Closed signs, which we know people really don’t adhere to that much, so we have actually put sand around the Road Closed signs so nobody can go around them, piles of sand.”
The Van Buren County Road Commission has lately been reminding drivers not to ignore Road Closed signs after noticing many do that. Witkowski says you don’t want to ignore this road closure.
“This one, I’m telling you, if they disobey it, they’re going to find themselves in a six foot hole. And again, not only do we have barricades, we have put sand, so it makes it should be next to impossible to drive around the road closed. And sadly, that’s the state we live in.”
Drivers are told even if their property is near the affected area, they should not drive County Road 378 between 66th Street and CR 687 and instead go around the block.
Witkowski suspects this closure will remain in place “for a bit of time,” noting it will be an inconvenience for drivers. The road commission will work to fix the issue as quickly as it can.
In the meantime, Wikowski says the sink hole has caused no injuries and Michigan State Police have helped to keep people away.
