California begins I-80 repairs ahead of the Labor Day holiday

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CBS, KYMA/KECY) - If you drive Interstate 80, you need to know about some big time repairs that could impact your commute.

"There’s grooves. There’s potholes. It’s horrible," said Kaylin Steward, a resident of Emigrant Gap, a community in Placer County.

This is I-80. Deluge after deluge slammed into the Northern California, leaving the interstate battered from severe weather, heavy traffic and snow chains.

High in the Foothills and Sierra, a recreation hotspot. A hub for trucks hauling goods across the country.

"California probably rates number one. This is some of the worst roads right here," said Zane Turner, visiting from Missouri.

Clock is ticking

Now, the clock is ticking for Caltrans to fix sections of I-80.

"If we didn’t do anything, our engineers looked at the potential of these areas could not withstand additional damage moving forward going into the next storm system," Jeremy Linder, Public Information Officer (PIO) for Caltrans District 3.

Emergency repairs began Monday near Truckee. Crews will focus on the stretch between Colfax to the state line. The pavement repairs are broken into five sections.

Currently, crews are working in location five where drivers may experience delays of up to 15 minutes during the day through Friday. Following Labor Day weekend, work will begin in the other sections. Caltrans says repairs simultaneously happening at all five locations could cause up to two hour delays.

It’s a trade-off some drivings are willing to accept for the short-term, with Steward sharing, "I support them working on it. It needs to get done in a better and faster way."