After spending some prolonged time in Detroit the initial shock and awe of the visual destruction starts to fade and you get to have a more acute view of the little things that aren't so initially obvious upon first pass. One of these discoveries is that there are very view manholes left in Detroit. The reason?..well it's difficult to say other than manholes are usually made of cast iron and so likely scrappers have removed them in an effort to resell. In many cases it is common to see old tires jammed into open manhole openings to serve as warning and prevent people, or cars from getting stuck or falling in.
Another bi-product of this is that often additional debris accumulates and catch basins get clogged. In heavy rains most of the underpass roads that travel under the downtown rail lines become a swamp of dirty water, old discarded mattresses and other disposed garbage.
It's an urban hazard that only exists in Detroit. Recently it resulted in a man's death falling into a manhole after his keys fell in:
http://www.freep.com/article/20120119/NEWS01/120119014/Man-dies-after-getting-stuck-Detroit-manhole
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