The sinkhole was originally a 30-foot long depression in the highway near Exit 34 and the second to occur in two months. Officials inspected it early Monday morning and closed the eastbound lanes as a precaution.

A sinkhole closed the highway’s right lane in Wharton for several days in late December while crews repaired the damage. The DOT blamed the sinkhole on a collapsed, abandoned mine. Drivers need to make a similar detour around the latest sinkhole by using Exit 28 to take Route 46 east or Route 10 east to avoid the area.