Drivers headed westbound on the Long Island Expressway hit worse-than-usual rush hour traffic Friday morning as crews worked to repair a large sinkhole. The New York State Department of Transportation said that the sinkhole appears to have been caused by a contractor working on a local municipal sewage project.

The DOT said work began Thursday evening to install new asphalt pavement.

Th two right lanes at exit 49 were closed for hours, but around 7 a.m., a spokesperson for the Suffolk Police Department said the center lane was reopened. The right lane and exit ramp remain closed.

The DOT said they plan on fully reopening the LIE some time today. As of Friday morning, only the center lane has been reopened.