LONGWOOD, Fla. — A pothole that spanned three lanes of westbound Interstate 4 near Longwood damaged up to 30 vehicles overnight, troopers say.

Crews shut down all but one westbound lane for several hours near the Longwood rest area on I-4, between the Lake Mary and State Road 434 exits, as they worked to repair the pothole.

The Florida Highway Patrol said 15 to 30 vehicles may have had their tires or undercarriages damaged because of the pothole in the center lane. 

Troopers said "I-4 Ultimate" project contractor SGL Constructors, the Florida Department of Transportation, and FHP set up detours around the hole.

There were no official reports of crashes overnight, but Spectrum News 13 saw a couple of vehicles that appeared to be disabled on the side of the road early Wednesday morning.

Transportation officials said late Tuesday night that bad weather moving through the area may have played a role. At this point, the focus is to ensure motorists' safety and repair the highway, they said.