Feb 7, 2008 7:00 pm US/Mountain
CDOT: No Timeline For I-25 Sinkhole Repair Job
Major Interstate Shutdown Freezes Afternoon/Evening Commute
By Jesse Sarles, cbs4denver.com
DENVER (CBS4) ―
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An image of the sinkhole
CBS
Traffic was being rerouted off all of the northbound lanes of Interstate 25 during Thursday evening's rush hour due to the formation of a 40 foot sinkhole in the middle of the highway.
Copter4 video showed vehicular traffic backed for 10 miles at 5 p.m. as a result of the incident.
Colorado Department of Transportation officials said the sinkhole was caused by a water main break and they estimated that it was 16 feet deep. They weren't initially sure of the extent of the damage and they didn't have a timeline for how long the repair effort would take.
There was between 3 and 4 feet of water on the highway right after the water main broke and the burst left several inches of mud across the roadway.
The sinkhole is located a quarter mile north of the Interstate 70 interchange, commonly known as the Mousetrap, right near 56th Avenue.
The hole formed just after 3:30 p.m. and traffic was initially being detoured onto Interstate 70. After 4 p.m. Colorado Department of Transportation crews opened the HOV/Toll lanes up so they could also re-route the traffic there. They temporarily suspended the charge for traveling in those lanes.
CDOT advised drivers to take alternative routes. Crews were shutting down entry points to the highway, including the 23rd Ave. onramp, the Speer Blvd. onramp and the Park Ave. West onramp.
A business on the east side of the highway was suffering from water damage, authorities said.
No injuries were reported.
A broken water main caused similar problems in that same area in 1997. Back then, the repairs took days.
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Section: Traffic 
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