I-80 Lanes Reopening This Week As Crews Continue Sinkhole Repairs

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ ? Two lanes of Interstate 80 in Morris County are expected to reopen Wednesday as crews continue to repair damage caused by several sinkholes, according to New Jersey transportation officials. Another two lanes will also reopen next week, they said.

Residents of western Morris County have spent months coping with delays and heavier traffic in their communities. The troubles on I-80 date back to December, when the collapse of an abandoned mineshaft near Exit 34 in Wharton triggered the first sinkhole.

In an update released Tuesday, the New Jersey Department of Transportation said two lanes on I-80 eastbound are expected to reopen late Wednesday night. Two lanes on I-80 westbound are also on schedule to reopen by the end of next week.

All lanes in both directions are scheduled to reopen by June 25, officials said.

"Paving on I-80 eastbound was completed early (Tuesday) with the final layer of asphalt being applied. Once the asphalt has cooled and hardened, the roadway will be striped and barrier curb will be installed to separate the median work zone from the two lanes of traffic, which will be utilizing the right lane and the shoulder as a travel lane," officials said. "Once the lanes are reopened, the I-80 eastbound detour utilizing Exit 34 will be removed."

According to NJDOT, the speed limit in the eastbound lanes will be reduced to 40 mph through the work zone.

"Motorists are reminded this is an active work zone and are advised to SLOW DOWN and use caution," officials said.

Officials said crews will continue working 24 hours a day until repairs are completed and the highway is reopened.

The westbound lanes were shut down as a precaution after a sinkhole formed in the median near I-80 west on March 19, halting traffic on the highway. Officials had hoped to open two westbound lanes in April, but testing uncovered another void beneath the left lane.

Meanwhile, the eastbound lanes at Exit 34 have been closed since Feb. 10 due to a sinkhole that developed in the center lanes.

NJDOT has created an I-80 project web page to update the public on repair progress. The page also provides information on detours, alternate routes, and other options to help minimize traffic congestion in the area.

Additionally, a new I-80 travel time page was added to www.511NJ.org, offering residents real-time travel times for detours and alternate routes.