WHARTON, N.J. – Hopes of reopening Interstate 80 quickly have been dashed.
A section of the eastbound lanes remains closed due to a 40-foot sinkhole, and it won’t be an easy fix.
It started out as a depression in the roadway Monday, and quickly opened up into a large sinkhole.
“The minute they started to do the soil borings, that’s when it opened up. So, you know, so it went from what we thought was going to be an easy fix to something much, much more difficult,” State Senator Anthony Bucco said.
It’s not clear exactly how long it will take to reopen the closed lanes.
What’s causing the sinkholes?
The new opening is just 75 feet from another sinkhole that closed I-80 in December. Officials are blaming abandoned mineshafts that have collapsed.
“What really causes these sinkholes to open up after such a long amount of time is water,” College of New Jersey civil engineering professor Andrew Bechtel said. “Water probably caused the first sinkhole to collapse. When they filled it, they changed how water moved under I-80. And now they’re probably developing a new one in a different place. So the realistic problem is to figure out where all these old mines go, and then fill and cap them and then rebuild the road on top.”
Sinkholes causing anxiety, hurting local businesses
The recurring sinkholes are causing anxiety for some drivers.
“The underground is like Swiss cheese. So I guess there’s a bunch of like mines that just weren’t filled in properly. And they just keep collapsing in on themselves,” Jefferson Township resident Jeiris Cook said. “I mean it’s pretty scary, you know, to think that the ground could just come undone underneath your feet at any moment.”
The eastbound closure is causing traffic to back up for miles, and it’s hurting some local businesses.
At the Townsquare Diner on Route 15, the normally busy lunch hour was unusually quiet.
“So people hear all the traffic in the area, they just divert. They go elsewhere,” owner Peter Sedereas said.
I-80 detour around sinkhole investigation
All eastbound lanes are closed at Exit 34. Drivers should use Route 46 or Route 10 as an alternative.
Route 46 eastbound alternative:
- Drivers on I-80 eastbound are advised to take Exit 28/Route 46 eastbound to Route 10/Ledgewood/Lake Hopatcong, which is several miles before the closure
- Continue on Route 46 eastbound
- Stay in the left two lanes to turn left at the traffic signal to continue on Route 46 eastbound
- Turn left onto Route 15 northbound in Dover back to I-80, or continue on Route 46 eastbound for about 12 miles and stay left for I-80 eastbound
I-80 eastbound detour:
- Drivers on I-80 eastbound are being directed to take Exit 34 to Route 15/Wharton/Dover/Sparta
- Stay right following signs for Route 15/Jefferson/Dover/Sparta
- Stay in the left lane on North Main Street to Route 15 southbound/To I-80/Dover
- Merge onto Route 15 southbound
- Stay left to take the exit to I-80 eastbound
