A massive 40-foot-by-40-foot sinkhole that opened up a major highway in New Jersey on Thursday was caused by an abandoned mine, officials said.
Construction crews are working around the clock to repair a huge pothole along Interstate 80 near Exit 40 in Wharton that caused massive traffic delays the day after Christmas.
The state Department of Transportation said Friday that the sinkhole was caused by the “collapse of an abandoned mine,” ripping the ground open and closing several lanes of the busy highway.
“Crews will continue working around the clock to complete the repairs and reopen the highway as soon as possible,” NJDOT said, without saying when the repairs would be completed.
“Given the extensive nature of the restoration work and the weather forecast for this weekend, it is too early to estimate a specific date,” the ministry added.
The sinkhole appeared Thursday morning, cutting into the right shoulder and lanes of Interstate 80, leaving a gaping hole about 40 miles west of New York City.
Officials said there were no reports of injuries from the sinkhole, but it caused major traffic jams and drivers were warned to take detours over the weekend as workers worked to fill the hole.
NJDOT has not released details about the mineshaft collapse that caused the sinkhole, but this is not the first time such an accident has occurred.
In neighboring Pennsylvania, Elizabeth Pollard, 64, fell into a 30-foot sinkhole earlier this month while searching for her missing cat, which authorities believe was opened by the collapse of an abandoned mine. I discovered it.
The missing grandmother's body was finally found two days later.
