Motorists navigating through Sandy, Utah, are being advised to prepare for delays, as crews undertake the repair of a sinkhole near Interstate 15. The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) has narrowed traffic to a single lane on westbound 10600 South from I-15 to 400 West. This bottleneck, extending to additional restrictions through 700 West, is scheduled from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the repair process. According to UDOT, the constraints will last until Saturday afternoon, accommodating the replacement of 42 feet of damaged pipe, though two lanes will reopen during night hours.
UDOT crews had identified a small hole forming on the road's shoulder and far right lane a few weeks prior and, considering the potential for heavy rains, moved swiftly to prevent further mishaps. "Safety is our top priority. That’s why we have the inconvenience of the traffic control right now,” said Jake Brown, UDOT Roadway Operations Manager, as per UDOT. “But this is a priority for us to get fixed, due to the heavy rains coming. We want to make sure the road is safe."
This isn't the first occurrence of such structural breakdowns in the area. A similar, larger sinkhole on the same pipeline was reported in August 2023, just a short distance to the east. The corrosion of pipes, accentuated by increased moisture, can lead to their collapse and the formation of sinkholes, a process that is notoriously challenging to predict. Nonetheless, UDOT crews had observed a depression in the road and were monitoring it before the issue escalated.
“We’re always looking for different things as we’re traveling down the road, and maintaining our roads,” stated Brown, as obtained by UDOT. “If we see any problems whatsoever, we immediately pull over, and investigate, make sure there is not a problem or do a temporary fix, and get a permanent fix planned.” Since Monday, dedicated crews have been on the scene working to restore the integrity of the road.
