Pothole continues to give headaches to Utah County commuters

OREM — On second thought, Utah Department of Transportation officials decided a gaping pothole on I-15 needs to be fixed now.

The hole, near the University Parkway exit on northbound I-15, has already caused a slew of flat tires and tire damage, said Utah Highway Patrol trooper Cameron Roden.

When engineers went out Monday night between 11 p.m. and midnight, they realized it was worse than they thought.

"It's going to be a little more of a task to fix that thing than just filling it up," Roden said.

So, Wednesday, weather permitting, UDOT crews will grind down the road for several hundred feet on either side of the hole and then repave the entire section. To accomplish that, northbound I-15 will be restricted to one lane from University Parkway to Center Street in Orem from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve.

"Generally, we wait until the springtime," said Adan Carillo, UDOT spokesman. "(But) it was bad enough. We didn't want it to get worse."

Northbound drivers are encouraged to take alternative routes and exit I-15 at the Univeristy Parkway exit 269, then travel on State Street to the east, or Geneva Road to the west to Center Street, where they can access the freeway again, Carillo said.

He also reminded motorists to use caution around the construction equipment and continue to drive at safe, slow speeds in the winter conditions.

Potholes are common in the winter when water seeps into the asphalt and freezes then melts, causing the road surface to expand and crack, Carillo said.

Carillo said UDOT does winter repairs where it can, but often it just makes more sense to wait until warmer temperatures to upgrade the road.

— Sara Israelsen-Hartley