Large Sinkhole Swallows Part of Highway During Rush Hour

What's New

A large sinkhole on a New Jersey interstate swallowed part of the highway shoulder on Thursday morning, closing one side of the highway until further notice.

The eastbound side of Interstate 80 is closed for "emergency sinkhole repairs" according to New Jersey's DOT. Detours are in place for motorists to avoid the area and continue their route by following signs for Route 15 south.

The DOT is warning of expected delays. The westbound I-80 lanes are not affected by the sinkhole.

Newsweek reached out via email to the state's Department of Transportation (DOT) for comment.

Why It Matters

The New Jersey sinkhole comes on a heavy travel day, as many people return home or to work the day after Christmas and the first night of Hanukkah, both of which were Wednesday.

Earlier this month, AAA projected that over 119 million people will travel "50 miles or more from home over the year-end holiday period from Saturday, December 21, to Wednesday, January 1," which is nearly 3 million more than last year.

What To Know

New Jersey's DOT closed the eastbound side at approximately 7:45 Thursday morning because of a "sinkhole in the right shoulder encroaching the right lane."

Emergency repair crews are working on the sinkhole, which is located after Exit 34, near mile post 34, in Wharton, Morris County.

Interstate 80 runs from San Francisco to the New York metropolitan area, cutting through New Jersey for almost 70 miles.

Traffic backs up on Interstate 80 on November 27 in San Francisco. The interstate runs through New Jersey, where a large sinkhole closed a section of the eastbound lanes on Thursday. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Sinkholes are depressions in the ground caused by the sudden collapse of the surface layer. They can form because of various factors, including natural causes like intense rainfall, flooding or drought, as well as human activities such as construction and aging infrastructure.

Sinkholes are most common in "karst terrain," which the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Interior, describes as "regions where the types of rock below the land surface can naturally be dissolved by groundwater circulating through them."

USGS reports that "sinkhole damages over the last 15 years cost on average at least $300 million per year. Since there is no national tracking of sinkhole damage costs, this estimate is probably much lower than the actual cost."

Local news outlets, like News 12 New Jersey, shared a photo of the large sinkhole on X (formerly Twitter).

What Happens Next

Once repairs are completed, New Jersey's DOT will release a public update and reopen the highway.

It is unclear how long the repairs will take, and there currently is no update.