A massive sinkhole on the Interstate 80, caused by the collapse of an abandoned mineshaft, can have some wondering what exactly is a mine hole?” One town in Morris County is no stranger to these mine subsidences.
“Mining started around the Mount Hope area 300 years ago,” said Mayor Sam Morris of Mine Hill, which has a population of about 4,000. “Mine Hill, in my time of being mayor, I probably saw six or seven of them (mine holes). There was a big one behind Canfield Avenue School at one point. We’ve had several on different streets.”
Morris said the holes he has experienced in his town are way smaller than the one that occurred on the highway in Wharton. The sinkhole on I-80 eastbound stretches 40 feet wide and 40 feet deep, according to the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Morris said some holes in bedrock that he saw were about 15 to 10 feet down.
With the sinkhole on the Morris County highway still under repair, causing detours and traffic, many are wondering how long will it take for workers to fix the damage. The Morris County mayor of 14 years explains the holes in his town were taken care of in a couple days.
“Fixing the hole can take a couple days, but then you have to build the roadway on top of that,” said Morris. He’s not sure if the road being fixed by Monday will be realistic and thinks Thursday may be a more reasonable goal.
With so much experience in dealing with “mine holes,” Morris said there are a couple ways to fix these land departures.
“There are two ways to fix them. One way is the plug method,” where the mayor explained workers dealing with the repairs fill the mine hole with other material like boulder and rock, and then fill the hole with concrete.
“The other way to do it is called a cap method. Which is making a slap of concrete and then lowering it in with a crane,” Morris explained
The Mine Hill mayor has experience dealing with professionals who know how to handle sink holes caused by mine shafts. Morris said he’s spoke to mining engineers in the past that taught the local government about “mining holes,” with training on how to fix and spot them.
Morris said despite dealing with a handful of sink holes, the town has never had people suffer injuries or vehicle collisions due to the damage on the roads.
Morris County has dealt with plenty of sinkholes cause by abandoned mines with over 100 abandoned underground mines located all across the area, with most located in the northwestern half of the county, according to the 2020 geographical report of Morris County.
The 2020 Morris County geographical report said some surface openings from the mines are occurring because some are “improperly filled.”
Sink hole on Interstate 80
The sinkhole on I-80 in Wharton in Morris County is still under repair, and have caused delays of over an hour, officials said. Despite workers trying to restore the road, the reopening of the highway is still unknown, according to the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
Drivers are forced to take alternative routes away from the sinkhole which occurred by Exit 34.
The sinkhole on the eastbound side of the highway was confirmed by officials at 7:45 a.m. on Thursday morning.
Weather may also play a factor into the repairs as rain is expected starting on Saturday.
Once excavated, crews will backfill the area using wire mesh and stone aggregate, concrete and other fill before repaving the roadway, said spokesman for the DOT Steve Schapiro to NorthJersey.com
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Mine Hill no stranger to sinkholes caused by mines