Three lanes of Interstate 15 in Salt Lake City were closed March 24 after a hole was discovered in a bridge, KSL News Radio reports.
The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) said the hole, which appeared in the I-15 bridge over 800 South, went straight through the bridge.
Although it was originally reported as a pothole, UDOT employees realized the danger and immediately blocked off three lanes of traffic when they arrived on the scene. UDOT experts analyzed the bridge and found that the problem was isolated to a single 13-foot by 8-foot panel, which was replaced.
UDOT Spokesperson John Gleason said the hole was caused by an active winter filled with unusually high amounts of rain and snow. “All of that weather can cause erosion, not only to bridges but to roads as well,” he told the news agency, adding that the hole will likely not be an isolated case. “This is an issue we could see popping up across the state this spring.”
“We ask people, who serve as our eyes and ears, to let us know if there are issues that we need to address right away so that we can get out there immediately,” Gleason said, according to the news outlet.