Giant crack opens on busy Woodbridge road, sparks resident concern

WOODBRIDGE — A gigantic crack has opened up along a usually busy road in Middlesex County, sparking concerns among local residents.

The pavement split on Smith Street in the Keasbey section of Woodbridge, very close to its shared border with Perth Amboy.

While it widened after its initial discovery, the crack has stayed between Highland Avenue and Convery Boulevard, according to multiple reports.

Road closed, temporary evacuation in Woodbridge

On Sept. 4, Woodbridge Police shared an alert to the department's Facebook page without any other details other than to say “road closed.”

At least 18 families were then briefly evacuated, CBS New York reported, though they have since been allowed to return home since the weekend.

What caused giant road crack in Woodbridge?

Some local officials told Eyewitness News ABC that a construction project at a “nearby warehouse” had caused the crack.

Now, worries about utility services have lingered, as crews have reportedly begun the drawn-out process of trying to repair the massive crack.

A request for information from the state Department of Transportation was not immediately answered late Tuesday afternoon.

"The damaged pavement is on Smith Street in Woodbridge, which is a county road," Patch reported citing a state DOT spokesperson, who added that the state closed the Rt. 440 northbound ramp and the Rt. 9 northbound ramp to Smith Street at the request of Middlesex County.

“The safety and accessibility of County roads is a top priority. Currently, Middlesex County is working closely with Woodbridge Township and its partners to assess the necessary repairs to Smith Street," the Middlesex County Department of Transportation said in a written statement to New Jersey 101.5 on Thursday.

"Once fully assessed, the estimated cost and timeline for complete restoration will become clear and further information will be issued to the public,” the statement also said.

Reminds many of Route 80 sinkholes

The sudden massive crack down a busy road in Middlesex County has led to comparisons with Morris County's recent sinkhole debacles.

A stretch of Route 80 in Wharton had to be shutdown for months, after a first sinkhole opened in December 2024 and another one in March.

Read More: New Jersey's Route 80 to reopen after sinkhole repairs

In those cases, the sinkholes were found to have been caused by the collapse of an old, abandoned iron mineshaft beneath the highway.

The road crack in Middlesex County has led to added traffic jams around the area of the Route 287 interchange, due to the re-routing of tractor trailers.

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