Route 80 sinkhole in Morris County caused by an abandoned mine shaft
A hole about as deep and as wide as a four-story building on a busy stretch of Interstate 80 The accident in Wharton caused an abandoned mine shaft to collapse, forcing workers to undergo major repairs and leaving drivers facing delays of more than an hour, according to officials.
A large depression on the side of the road, up to 40 feet deep and 40 feet wide, closed the eastbound lanes, forcing motorists to stop. Take Exit 34 or take alternate routesWhile the reopening of the road is still unknown.
It’s too early to estimate exactly when the two-lane portion of the highway will reopen due to extensive repairs, according to an update Friday by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. with Freezing rain is expected to cover the area Weather may also play a factor Friday evening into Saturday morning, officials said.
Officials said Department of Transportation crews were working “around the clock” to complete the repair process, with the area stabilized and excavation work beginning Thursday evening.
Once excavated, crews will backfill the area using wire mesh, stone aggregate, concrete and other backfill materials before repaving the road, Steve Shapiro, a Department of Transportation spokesman, told NorthJersey.com.
The Department of Transportation tweeted an update on Friday at 7:40 p.m. that “work crews have begun backfilling the area using wire mesh, stone aggregate and other fill materials, before repaving the road.”
It was not clear whether the area where the crater occurred had been previously monitored or whether it was a cause for concern. Shapiro did not respond to this inquiry.
At approximately 12:30 p.m. Friday, delays ranging from 55 minutes to more than an hour were reported near the Wharton exit as well as near Exit 28, an alternative exit for motorists to eastbound Route 46, according to the Alerts from 511nj.org.
The sinkhole was first reported by officials around 7:45 a.m. Thursday, as photos from motorists posted on social media showed a highway flooded with traffic, with New Jersey State Police working to redirect vehicles off the highway.
Morris County has hundreds of abandoned mines
Morris County is filled with more than 100 abandoned underground mines, most of which are located in the northwestern half of the county, where the ore consists mostly of magnetite, mica, and graphite. According to the 2020 Morris County Geographic Report.
Hidden underground danger:600 abandoned mines in North Jersey
The report notes that New Jersey is vulnerable to the effects of sinkholes and subsidence, or land sinking, especially in the northern region of the state due in part to abandoned mines.
The Garden State was historically an iron-producing state, and the first mines were dug in the early 18th century. Although the mines have closed — the last closed in 1986 — continued development has been “problematic” due to previous large-scale mining operations, leading to subsidence, the report states.
One problem is that many of the mine’s surface openings have been “improperly filled,” with roads and structures built over the sites, the report notes.
Among the many mines in Rockaway, Wharton and the aptly named Mine Hill area include the Mount Pleasant Mine, which shows a site between the back of the Avalon housing complex on North Main Street and eastbound Route 80, where the sinkhole emerged.
The Mount Pleasant Mine is one of the state’s oldest, first opened in 1786, according to a nearly 600-page geographic study. “Iron mines and mining in New Jersey” It was compiled in 1910 by William Bailey, and is often cited by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. The mine remained in steady operation until 1896 when it closed. At the time of its closure, it was 3,500 feet long and 1,400 feet deep, measured on the slope.
Bayley wrote that as of June 1880, it is estimated that the mine produced 336,000 tons of ore.
Staff writer John Connolly contributed to this article.
Email: lcomstock@njherald.com; twitter: @loricomstockNJH Or on Facebook.
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