Gov. Phil Murphy is urging commuters affected by a series of sinkholes that closed portions of Interstate 80 to “please work from home” as road crews assess and repair the damage — a process that could take six to eight weeks.
Westbound lanes of the highway, closed after the most recent sinkhole, could reopen within a week, Murphy said. But repairs to the eastbound side may take up to two months.
“Subject to testing, the hope is two lanes can be opened within a week on the westbound side,” Murphy told reporters during a tour of the site in Morris County along with U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and U.S. Rep. Tom Kean.
There is no immediate safety threat, Murphy said.
“We wouldn’t let folks drive on them if they weren’t safe,” he said.
Murphy had other good news for commuters. A sinkhole that opened on a shoulder of I-287 Friday was a pipe issue and it will be fixed in time for Monday’s commute, he said.
Murphy, Duffy, Kean and State Transportation Commissioner Francis O’Connor toured the site of the most recent sinkhole which closed the westbound lanes of the highway on March 19.
Duffy committed to doing “all we can” to get the highway reopened, recognizing the importance of I-80 as the states largest east-west interstate highway.
“I live 30 minutes away when this shuts down, communities shutdown, Duffy said “we want to make it safe to travel.
Murphy said mine experts from other states including Pennsylvania are being called in to help. USDOT has brought in national experts in geotechnical engineering to help NJDOT identify the problem and safely reopen this road, Duffy said.
In the meantime, New Jersey Transit will be offering discounts to commuters on the Morris and Essex rail lines from five M&E stations. Riders using the Hackettstown, Mount Olive, Netcong, Lake Hopatcong, and Mount Arlington will not need to purchase a fare when boarding.
For the return trip, customers will only need to purchase a one-way ticket back to one of these five stations, which provides a full 50% discount on roundtrip travel.
That delivers on a suggestion by Kean that NJ Transit offer area residents some temporary incentives to use transit as an alternative to using I-80.
Three sinkholes in less than two months prompted officials to close the westbound lanes of I-80 this week after shutting the eastbound lanes back in February, when a second sinkhole opened in the center lane.
The detours resulted in traffic nightmares in several Morris County towns on Routes 46 and 10 and business owners complained of a downturn due to the added vehicles.
Murphy name checked a Bill proposed by Assemblywoman Aura Dunn, R-Morris that would suspend sale tax collection from businesses affected by construction work and Kean hinted that some Small Business Administration aid might be available for businesses in Wharton affected by detouring traffic.
“We’re open minded to all of the above, Murphy said.
Authorities with the state have attributed all three sinkholes to collapsing mineshafts underneath the roadway. Roughly 588 abandoned mines lurk beneath the surface in nine northern New Jersey counties, including in Wharton. (Another nearby sinkhole opened up Friday on I-287 in Morris County, as well, but was not mine related.)
When asked if the drilling and grouting work DOT has been doing on the highway has exacerbated the problems Assistant DOT commissioner Chris Feinthel said “we’re not making things worse. It’s the mines that are the villain….. which keeps moving.”
Mining experts from Colorado and Pennsylvania, which Murphy said have more mines than New Jersey, will assist the DOT.
After the second sinkhole developed, the DOT announced a plan to build a crossover for truck traffic as a way to temporarily keep it off of local roadway detours while larger repair work was ongoing. At the time, it estimated the eastbound lanes of the highway would be closed for at least two months.
Duffy praised the efforts of NJDOT for their quick response to the sinkholes and said he’s talked to Murphy and Kean weekly about the states needs.
This is Duffy’s first official visit to New Jersey since being confirmed as Transportation Secretary, although he lives in Mendham.
“When this shuts down, communities shutdown,” Duffy said of the interstate. “We want to make it safe to travel.”
His visit also comes three weeks after Murphy signed a state of emergency declaration for the sinkhole area, making it eligible for federal funds and assistance.
The declaration also allowed the state to apply for federal funding, which may be provided by the Federal Highway Administration if a road has sustained serious damage due to a natural disaster or another external cause. The federal funding application is currently with FHWA, state officials said.
Duffy committed to providing federal funds for repairs but did not specify a figure.
“I’ll do all we can to get the resources,” Duffy said. “We’re providing technical assistance. At a later point we’ll talk about money. We’re not there yet.” Echoing
Murphy said costs for the shutdown are more than $150,000 a day.
Duffy said he would ask Kean Jr, who was on site, for legislation to cover costs that USDOT couldn’t allocate directly to the State.
Murphy also reassured residents of the nearby Avalon apartments, located next I-80 east and a former mine that the bui8lding is sound after several independent studies.
The collaboration between the State and Federal agencies is paramount for reopening this vital roadway as quickly and safely as possible,“ said State Senate Minority Leader Anthony Bucco. R-Morris.
Stories by Larry Higgs
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Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @CommutingLarry