The eastbound Exit 34 section of Interstate 80 remained closed Saturday as workers continued repairs to a 40-foot deep by 40 foot wide sinkhole in Wharton.
“Crews worked through the night in the freezing rain and repairs are ongoing,” New Jersey Department of Transportation spokesman Steve Shapiro said in an email Saturday morning. “An estimated time for completion is yet to be determined.”
On Friday, Shapiro said crews were working “around the clock” to backfill the area using wire mesh and stone aggregate, concrete and other fill before repaving the roadway.
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The sinkhole, approximately the depth and width of a four-story building, was first reported by officials around 7:45 a.m. on Thursday. It is believed to have been caused by the collapse of an abandoned mineshaft, one of more than an estimated 100 such mines in Morris County. Most of the abandoned mines are in the northwestern half of the county, according to a 2020 geographical report of Morris County.
Morris County: One town is no stranger to sinkholes caused by mines
More: North Jersey explorer investigated abandoned NJ mines for a decade. What he learned
Drivers are being detoured at Exit 34 eastbound to Route 15 southbound to reenter Interstate 80 in Dover. Drivers can also take Exit 38 to Route 46 eastbound to Route 15 in Jefferson/Dover/Sparta, reconnecting with Route 80 in Dover.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Sinkhole repairs continue and Route 80 in Wharton still closed