Workers were able to make a temporary fix late Tuesday evening on Hanes Mall Boulevard after a large hole opened up on the roadway, according to a Winston-Salem city news release.

The hole is about 3 feet wide on the surface, 15 to 20 feet deep and about 50 feet across underneath the road’s surface.

It opened up Tuesday afternoon at the tip of the median where Hanes Mall Boulevard joins Silas Creek Parkway.

Limited lanes are now open on the roadway and will stay open during the morning rush hours. However, more lanes will close later in the morning as North Carolina DOT crews work on a more permanent fix.

Authorities initially closed off all northbound lanes on Hanes Mall Boulevard as it approaches Silas Creek Parkway, and diverted traffic through the parking lot of Silas Creek Crossing shopping center.

Later Tuesday afternoon, state highway officials closed all the lanes of Hanes Mall Boulevard at the Silas Creek Parkway intersection.

Greg Turner, an assistant city manager of Winston-Salem, said that when city crews went out to the site they found a 72-inch storm drain down the hole that had opened up on Hanes Mall Boulevard.

Hanes Mall Boulevard is a state street, and the repair of a storm drain under it would also be the responsibility of the state, Turner said.