Route 80 sinkhole in Morris County causes major traffic delays: Video
A sinkhole on I-80 eastbound near Exit 34 has shut down the roadway and is diverting traffic into Wharton, according to officials.
A busy stretch of an interstate highway in New Jersey shuttered after a swath of the right lane and shoulder collapsed into a sinkhole, authorities said Thursday.
The New Jersey Department of Transportation confirmed the sinkhole Thursday morning near the Wharton exit on Interstate 80 eastbound, which is about 40 miles west of New York City. The depression formed off the shoulder and right lane, according to NJDOT, and it stretches 40 feet wide and 40 feet deep.
The transportation department said all lanes of I-80 eastbound were closed and being detoured with motorists advised to avoid the area and seek alternate routes. The cause of the sinkhole has not yet been determined.
“NJDOT crews responded immediately and are on site continuing to evaluate the situation, determine the extent of the damage, and stabilize the area in order to design a repair,” NJDOT officials said.
Westbound I-80 is not impacted. A 511nj.org live feed of I-80 looking west shortly after 5 p.m. showed traffic moving swiftly on the westbound side with traffic cones lined up and several emergency vehicles on the eastbound side. A line of traffic appeared to be at a standstill as motorists were waiting to take Exit 34.
What causes sinkholes?
A sinkhole is a hole or deep depression in the ground that opens up when layers of certain types of rock – usually limestone, carbonate rock and salt beds – dissolve beneath the surface and collapse.
Sinkholes usually form over time by a phenomenon called karst processes in which groundwater breaks down minerals in the underlying soluble rock. The dissolved minerals create spaces inside the rock, weakening it until it collapses.
Sinkholes can range in diameter and depth. Some have vertical walls, others look like saucers or shallow basins, and some generate ponds by retaining water, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The depressions are common in Florida because of its limestone bedrock. Alabama, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas and Pennsylvania are prone to sinkholes as well, also because of their bedrock.
Sinkhole damage costs $300 million each year in US
Nearly every state has limestone, gypsum and other soft rocks that are susceptible to a collapse.
“In 99% of all cases, sinkholes pop up in carbonate rocks (like limestone or dolomite) or evaporitic rocks (like gypsum or anhydrite),” the science news website ZME Science says.
Over the past 15 years, sinkhole damage costs an average of $300 million a year in the United States.
There are several ways to identify a sinkhole in progress. Slumping or tilting trees or fence posts and small ponds of rainwater forming where water has not collected before can be warning signs, according to the USGS. In buildings, doors and windows that suddenly don’t close properly can be another indication.
Contributing: Janet Loehrke and George Petras, USA TODAY
