2 sinkholes open in Toms River, damaging vehicles

🚧 A sinkhole on Route 37 West caused traffic delays

🚧 Several vehicles were damaged by a different sinkhole

🚧 Collapsed pipes were blamed

TOMS RIVER — Collapsed pipes are to blame for sinkholes developing on roads in Toms River that damaged vehicles and caused traffic backups.

The first sinkhole opened Sunday on Route 37 West in the two right lanes at St. Catherine Boulevard. With only one lane available, traffic heading away from the beach backed up for several miles. A water main break under the roadway was to blame, according to Veolia Water spokesman John Passuth.

"It was a fairly large pipe. The water was highly pressurized and it's just kind of pushing things under the ground a little bit that caused that the road to buckle there," Passuth told New Jersey 101.5.

The New Jersey Department of Transportation made repairs that were completed by Monday afternoon.

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Another sinkhole

A second sinkhole opened late Tuesday night on New Hampshire Avenue at Old Freehold Road. It damaged five vehicles before the road could be closed, according to Toms River police Lt. Scott Moeller.

Ocean County spokeswoman Donna Flynn said a collapsed drainage pipe was to blame.

The roadway should be fully open by Wednesday night.

Flynn did not disclose if the collapse was related to heavy rain that fell Tuesday night. Nearly four inches of rain fell in Toms River on Tuesday, according to New Jersey 101.5 Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow.

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