Route 80 reopens ahead of schedule after repairs

🚧 Route 80 was first closed the day after Christmas when a sinkhole opened up

🚧 Voids that opened up under the roadway from abandoned mines were to blame

🚧 Routes 10,15 and 46 became clogged with commuters hurting businesses

WHARTON — All lanes of Route 80 east are scheduled to reopen on Saturday to complete repairs created by sinkholes, 11 days ahead of schedule.

The New Jersey Department of Transportation will close all westbound lanes Friday night at 9 p.m. to allow for final paving and striping. The lanes are scheduled to be reopened at 9 a.m. Saturday morning to complete the repairs with a full complement of lanes in each direction near Exit 34 in Wharton.

Gov. Phil Murphy said he was "thrilled" that the road will reopen so drivers can travel "efficiently and safely.”

"I want to thank the thousands of New Jerseyans who have been impacted by these sinkholes for their patience as we worked to secure this roadway. I also want to thank NJDOT Commissioner Fran O’Connor, the NJDOT crews, and the New Jersey State Police who have worked around the clock to open this highway safely," Murphy said in a statement.

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All lanes in both directions closed for several months

State Sen. Anthony Bucco, who worked to get financial help for the businesses along Routes 10, 15 and 46 that suffered when they became clogged with commuters, was also pleased at the reopening.

"This has been a long and difficult process, but I’m proud of how our community came together throughout this crisis,” Bucco said. “From commuters and residents to local businesses, everyone worked together and showed tremendous patience."

The problems on Route 80 started the day after Christmas when a sinkhole opened on the shoulder along the eastbound lanes. It was repaired within seven days.

A second sinkhole collapsed nearby on Feb. 6, closing all the travel lanes while crews filled voids caused by old mines deep under the highway. The westbound lanes were closed on March 19 when a sinkhole collapsed.

The westbound lanes fully reopened on June 14.

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