A “significant void” has opened up under the eastbound lanes of Interstate 80 in Morris County, which have been closed since Feb. 10, state transportation officials said.
“Initial testing revealed a void under the eastbound lanes. It is not a sinkhole,” said Stephen Schapiro, a spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Transportation. “A void is an empty space or cavity that exists underground. A sinkhole is an opening or depression on the surface.”
The newest void is located underneath the center lane of I-80 East, near exit 34 in Wharton, close to where a road depression that later became a sinkhole was detected on Feb. 10, officials said.
“After finishing the initial testing, the good news is there are no immediate concerns about the stability of I-80 westbound,” state Transportation Commissioner Fran O’Connor said in a statement. “The bad news is a significant void was identified underneath the center lane of I-80 eastbound, which will require an extensive and robust repair.”
What that means is drivers and commuters will have to continue using the detours they’ve been taking for more than two weeks.
“It is going to take some time to design a repair that will ensure the long-term integrity and safety of the roadway,” O’Connor said. “It is important that we act now to make lasting repairs, so we don’t have to come back any time soon.”
The news of the new sinkhole comes as DOT crews have been conducting advanced scanning and testing, along with proactive drilling and grouting operations.
“Crews will continue working around the clock until the road is stabilized and safe to reopen,” O’Connor said. “The nature of the work is complex and time-consuming, making it hard to estimate when work will be complete.”
As of Thursday, 51 locations along the highway have been drilled, and 36 locations have been filled with grout, officials said.
Two abandoned iron mines, the Huff Mine and the Johnson Hill Mine, are located near the highway in Wharton, close to the Avalon apartments and I-80 East. Both have been dormant since the late 1860s according to a mine database.
I-80 has had two sinkholes develop at exit 34 in the past three months. The first one closed the highway’s right lane in Wharton for several days in late December while crews repaired the damage. The DOT blamed the sinkhole on a collapsed, abandoned mine.
The second was initially reported as a depression in the center lane of I-80 east on Feb. 10, prompting the DOT to close those lanes as a precaution. That night the depression opened into a sinkhole, located 75 feet from the December sinkhole, which was not affected.
Meanwhile, eastbound traffic on I-80 continues to be detoured onto two primary routes, at exit 28 to use Routes 46 and 10, and at exit 34.
Stories by Larry Higgs
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Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @CommutingLarry