This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Orem city officials expect by Friday to have repaired a sinkhole that appeared in a road on Wednesday and nearly swallowed a steamroller.
Crews are working around the clock, but repairs have been slowed by the presence of an overhead high-voltage powerline requiring excavation equipment operators to use extra caution, according to city engineer Ed Gifford.
The 12-foot-deep sinkhole appeared at about 10 a.m. Wednesday in freshly paved asphalt on 1200 North near 1150 West, said Orem police Sgt. Craig Martinez.
Crews were just completing the paving project when the steamroller fell into the sinkhole, cracking a buried sewage line.
As the sinkhole grew, sewage spewed from it and spilled across the road, Martinez said. The steamroller was nearly swallowed as the road collapsed, but the driver was able to escape uninjured.
The sinkhole grew to roughly 8 feet wide and 12 feet long and was at least 12 feet deep, Martinez said.
On Thursday, 1200 North from 1200 West to 1100 West remained closed.
Road construction is expected to be completed early next week
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