Lane-sized sinkhole opens up on Jordan Parkway near I-15

SOUTH JORDAN, Utah (KUTV) — Drivers on Jordan Parkway on Friday were having to maneuver around a giant sinkhole that opened at the intersection with 500 West.

The sinkhole comes after an intense monsoon storm left areas along the Wasatch Front flooded and dealing with damage as the weather cleared.

It wasn't immediately clear when the hole fell open Friday, but by 2 p.m., it had grown to the width of the center eastbound lane.

Authorities at the scene were not allowing press to get close enough to take photos. 2News' Heidi Hatch reported all eastbound lanes were closed in the area.

It wasn't known if the sinkhole was the result of Thursday's storm or if there was another cause, such as a broken waterline, that had eaten away the ground beneath the freeway.

Traffic on southbound I-15 was backing up at the 10600 South Exit, though authorities had not yet confirmed if the sinkhole was the cause.

Jordyn Jeppson works in the area and travels that road every day to get to work.

“Pretty crazy to see the big sinkhole that occurred,” Jeppson said.

While he was on his lunch break, he watched cars narrowly avoid it, before it completely sunk.

“There was a truck and a trailer that legitimately got four feet of air off of that thing, before the pavement sunk in, there was a lot of cars getting a lot of hang time, pretty crazy to watch,” Jeppson said.

He said he almost witnessed a few wrecks.

“You could hear the cars come off the ground; they would hit this at 35-40 mph,” he said.

According to UDOT Spokesperson John Gleason it was likely Thursday night’s storm that led to a busted storm drain that caused the 10-foot-deep sinkhole to form.

“It's really something when you look down in there and you can see all of that dirt was washed away,” Gleason said. “Fortunately, you don’t see a lot of sinkholes like this, but this is a major sinkhole and we are fortunate that we were able to get out here close down the road here.”

To fix it, crews will cut out the affected area, make repairs to the drainage pipe and make sure the water is going where it needs to go.

UDOT is hoping to get the road fixed by Saturday morning, but it’s possible it could take much longer.

For now, drivers are urged to find alternate routes around the area.