A possible sinkhole forming in the center lane of I-80 in New Jersey’s Morris County shut down all eastbound lanes Monday morning, near the same spot as a December sinkhole.
After a depression was flagged in the center eastbound lane at about 6:45 a.m., State Department of Transportation officials shut it down, spokesperson Stephen Schapiro told NJ Advance Media.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the highway was closed and detoured at Exit 34 in Wharton, which goes to Route 15,” he told NJ.com.
“I-80 eastbound all lanes closed at Exit 34 – Rt 15 in Wharton due to a sinkhole,” the state DOT said on X. “Follow detour or plan alternate route.”
State transportation said the roadway would be closed until further notice as they sought the cause of the highway buckle and encouraged drivers to find alternate routes.
WABC-TV via AP
Work crews look on as a sinkhole opened up along Interstate 80 near Wharton, N.J. on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (WABC-TV via AP)
“NJDOT crews are on site to evaluate the situation, determine the extent of the damage, and stabilize the area in order to design a repair,” NJDOT said in a release. “The cause of the depression has not yet been determined.”
Emergency crews were working to repair the damage as DOT officials investigated whether it was in fact a recurrence of the same sinkhole that opened up at the identical spot on Dec. 26. The 40-foot- by 40-foot sinkhole, the size of a four-story building, opened up at about 7:30 a.m. in the shoulder of the eastbound lane, just north of Wharton, then reached the far righthand lane.
The highway was closed for four days, opening back up on Dec. 30 after officials plugged it with stone aggregate, wire mesh, concrete and additional fill to pack in the land, overlaid with several layers of asphalt, NJDOT said in a release at the time.
It was caused by the collapse of a mine shaft that’s part of one of many abandoned iron mines in the area, officials told WPIX-11.
