The hole left when the wall of a crossover lane on Interstate 75 collapsed resembles a strip mining operation more than road construction.

The exposed mud and rock leaves little to the imagination as to what has been lurking beneath the surface. And with the resurgence of detour traffic flooding into downtown LaFollette one question has bubbled up again- ‘how much longer?’

“We expect all work to be done by Sept. 28,” said Mark Nagi TDOT Region 1 Community Relations Office said on Monday.