Northbound Interstate 5 reopened after sinkhole closure

California Department of Transportation crews have reopened a northbound lane of Interstate 5 near Tracy and are estimating reopening the southbound highway by noon Sunday.

The highway was closed south of Tracy in San Joaquin County after crews performing routine maintenance on Tuesday found a sinkhole and later determined a deteriorating 40-year-old irrigation pipe underground was causing the problem.

The highway was closed and traffic was being diverted to Highways 33 and 132 in a 6-mile detour.

Caltrans said in a message posted on Twitter at 4:52 a.m. Saturday that one lane of northbound I-5 had been reopened and that the southbound highway is expected to reopen by noon Sunday.

Work on repairs to the highway was delayed slightly because of high temperatures that have gripped the region this week.

Caltrans said on Twitter that “due to (Friday’s) extreme heat, the pavement took longer than expected to cool.”

This story was originally published June 4, 2016 at 9:40 AM with the headline "Northbound Interstate 5 reopened after sinkhole closure."