Collapsing interstate highway in NJ could be closed for weeks

⭕ Part of Route 80 in Wharton could be closed for another 3 weeks

⭕ The highway was built over old mineshafts

⭕ DOT is exploring the mineshafts to avoid future road collapses

This report has been updated with new information from the NJ DOT.

WHARTON — The eastbound lanes of Route 80 are expected to remain closed for at least another three weeks to get to the root cause of two sinkholes that have opened up in the past two months.

The NJ Department of Transportation announced another westbound closure Tuesday night starting at 10 p.m. and lasting until 6 a.m. Tuesday morning to allow for more testing of the roadway.

The first sinkhole opened up the day after Christmas in the right shoulder and right lane near Exit 34 in Wharton and was repaired within a week. A second sinkhole measuring 11'x11'  formed about 75 feet away in the center lane on Feb. 10. Engineers are studying the stability of dozens of abandoned mines under the roadway.

"Unfortunately, when you build a highway over a mine, this is the kind of stuff that happens over time. They continue to work quickly and safely out there around the clock but this is going to take some time to locate not only the extent of the current sinkhole but also other mineshafts that are creating voids under the road that will cause future problems," state Sen. Anthony Bucco, R-Morris, said on the New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show on Thursday.

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Bucco: 'We've got to get this done right'

Bucco said crews are drilling and grouting 91 locations on the eastbound side of the highway and have yet to extensively test the west side. Depending on the weather and what engineers find, the project could last longer than three weeks. He is also concerned about the impact of a prolonged closure on surrounding roads like Routes 10 and 46.

"Our main objective is to make sure that people are safe, both those doing the work and those traveling on the roadway. We've got to get this done right," Bucco said.

Working through winter weather

The DOT says crews have worked through several rounds of winter weather to determine the condition of the ground under the highway. A second void was found and was filled with grout on Monday.

State Police have started manually working several traffic signals on Route 46, Route 10, and Route 15 during the morning and afternoon commutes to control the flow of traffic. A new detour was posted for eastbound traffic to get off the highway at Exit 28 (Route 46) to minimize traffic going into neighboring communities.

Mine Hill Mayor Sam Morris told TAP into Roxbury that more pavement collapsed when a machine being used to probe under the pavement partially fell into an underground cavity.

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