Crews have plugged a sinkhole near the Westside Parkway onramp from westbound Truxtun Avenue that snarled traffic in downtown Bakersfield.

Public Works director Nick Fidler believes the problem was caused when water from the Kern River damaged a collection vault under the roadway Monday night.

Fidler says crews had been monitoring the area for these types of problems since a much larger sinkhole opened up nearby last summer.

Kelli Pierce