A “significant void” found during repairs of the sinkhole shutting down part of I-80 in New Jersey will delay the roadway’s reopening indefinitely, state transportation officials said Thursday.
“After finishing the initial testing, the good news is there are no immediate concerns about the stability of I-80 westbound,” New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) 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.”
The void is not a sinkhole but an “empty space or cavity that exists underground,” rather than an opening that extends to the surface, NJDOT said.
The eastbound lanes of I-80 in Wharton have been closed since a sinkhole opened on Feb. 10 near where a previous one had snarled holiday traffic in December. The latter had been repaired and the road reopened on Dec. 30 and is still stable.
On Feb. 18, officials said repairs on the second sinkhole would take three more weeks, but that was before crews discovered the new weaknesses.
“This void will require a more extensive and lengthy repair than originally thought,” NJDOT said. “Until a design is finalized, it is difficult to determine an exact completion date.”
Crews have been working around the clock, “despite several snow, rain and freezing weather events,” to identify and prevent potential sinkholes, O’Connor said. They’re now working in 135 locations, up from 90 when they started, though not all are voids. As of Thursday morning, 51 of the problem spots had been drilled and 36 filled with grout.
The sinkholes stem from nearly 600 abandoned mines riddling northwestern New Jersey, including underneath the problem stretch of I-80, according to NJ Advance Media.