RALEIGH, N.C. — State Department of Transportation crews were busy Friday on westbound Interstate 40 near Harrison Avenue repairing an underground pipe. Those repairs created a series of traffic backups.

Crews had to close three of the five lanes to do repair work. Traffic delays stretched all the way to Wade Avenue. Crews were able to fix the problem in about five hours.

It was the second time DOT crews worked on the pipe. On June 22, crews had to fix a similar problem at a different spot on the pipe. DOT officials said the plan to keep the pipe from bursting again is to slip a plastic tube inside the old metal pipe.

"We've got a job to do and basically, our job is to make sure you get from point A to point B safely, and we've got to repair that road and make it safe for you to continue to be able to get there," DOT engineer Chris McGee said.

Crews used a remote control camera to find and fix the bad spots. They said they also patched some potholes while the lanes were shut down.