DUI Lawyers in Wharton, NJ

State Department of Transportation officials plan to reopen two lanes of I-80 west in early May with two eastbound lanes to follow in the middle of May and a full reopening of the highway planned in late June.

The highway has been closed at exit 34 in Wharton since March 19, when a third sinkhole opened on the median next to the westbound lanes. A second sinkhole opened on Feb. 10, closing the eastbound lanes.

“The design is being finalized, however repair work is underway,” said Stephen Schapiro, a NJDOT spokesperson, in response to questions from NJ Advance Media. “I-80 westbound is expected to have two lanes reopened by May 4, and all lanes open by June 25.”

Two eastbound lanes could reopen by May 18, based on a three-phase DOT construction schedule.

The sinkhole repair includes excavating the area, installing a base of large stone and driving micro piles into bedrock to support a concrete slab, Schapiro said. Micro piles are multiple steel bars or pipes that are 5 to 12 inches in diameter drilled into the ground as deep as 200 feet that can support up to 200 tons of weight.

Additional fill and soil will be placed on top of the concrete slabs and compacted before several layers of asphalt are applied to reconstruct the road, he said.

The design is similar to one that the DOT used in 2009 on a nearby section of I-80 east near Exit 34. That project dealt with ongoing settlement issues related to the abandoned Huff Mine off Main Street in Wharton, which is located under I-80 at mile marker 33.6.

The project involved constructing a series of concrete slabs to structurally bridge over an area of 310 feet by 23 feet west of the Main Street underpass structure in Wharton that the I-80 East deceleration and right lanes go over, according to a project information description.

Micro piles were used to “enhance” an overhead sign foundation and light pole foundations as part of that project that was completed in 2010.

A late December sinkhole that affected the shoulder and right lanes of I-80 east was blamed on an abandoned mine collapse.

During a tour of the sinkhole area with U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on March 22, Gov. Phil Murphy said the DOT was consulting with experts from Colorado and Pennsylvania, two states with more mines than New Jersey.

“NJDOT has had several meetings with mine experts from Pennsylvania and Colorado to discuss the situation,” Schapiro said. “They have been a useful part of the team designing repairs to I-80.”

Initial plans to build a cross over to allow one lane of east bound traffic to use westbound lanes have been dropped, he said.

Officials cautioned that the schedule could change due to weather and ground conditions.

Traffic on I-80 East is still being detoured at Exit 34 in Wharton, and drivers are being asked to get off earlier at Exit 28 to use Routes 46 and 10 as alternates.

Local business owners on detour routes in Wharton and other towns asked state officials for help because detouring traffic was preventing customers from visiting their businesses.

On Monday, state Senate Minority Leader Anthony Bucco, R-Morris. met with Economic Development Authority officials and local businesses about various assistance options, including a grant program.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @CommutingLarry

Morristown Daily Record

The North Jersey transportation news isn't all horrible.

As rail commuters cope with an NJ Transit strike that began at midnight and Newark Airport endures delays and measles scares, motorists may get some long-awaited relief next week on Route 80.

The New Jersey Department of Transportation announced that two eastbound lanes on the sinkhole-plagued interstate are scheduled to open on May 21, weather permitting.

Two westbound lanes on Route 80 are still scheduled to reopen by the end of May, and all lanes in both directions "are on schedule to reopen by June 25," according to an NJDOT advisory issued on May 16.

The exact date and time of the reopening is subject to weather, the agency said.

"The heavy rains this week have affected the schedule," reads the statement from NJDOT spokesperson Stephen Schapiro. "There are two separate crews working concurrently to expedite repairs. Crews are working 24 hours a day until repairs are completed."

The advisory sketched the work left to be done on the I-80 repairs:

"All three concrete slabs on the eastbound side have been poured," the department said. "After the concrete cures, a sealant has to be applied to the concrete, which cannot be done if it is raining. Once that is done, stone and aggregate will be added on top of the concrete slabs to form the roadway base in preparation for paving multiple layers of asphalt.

"The roadway will then be striped and [a] barrier curb will be installed to separate the median work zone from the two lanes of traffic, which will be utilizing the shoulder as a travel lane, and the right lane. Two lanes on I-80 eastbound are expected to reopen on May 21, weather permitting.

I-80 sinkhole nightmare

The news comes as welcome relief for motorists who have coped with detours through local streets in Wharton and other towns, starting in late December when a first sinkhole was identified and repaired near Exit 34 on Route 80 East. All eastbound lanes were closed after another void was detected 75 feet from the first one on Feb. 27.

A closure of westbound lanes due to yet another sinkhole issue on March 19 effectively brought that portion of the highway to a complete standstill, frustrating both drivers and local businesses along the detour routes who saw business drop dramatically.

Route 80 detours, travel times

The DOT reminded motorists to continue to use the signed detours and not cut through local streets that are unable to handle trucks and additional traffic. The public can search for alternate routes and follow the progress of the repairs on the state's I-80 project web page.

A Route 80 travel time page has been added to www.511NJ.org and has current travel times on the detour routes and alternate routes. the agency said.

Motorists can also follow NJDOT social media for updates via X (Twitter) at @NewJerseyDOT, the NJDOT Facebook page or Instagram at @NewJersey.DOT.

After the discovery of sinkholes and underground voids related to old, abandoned mines, I-80 has been closed for weeks in both directions near Wharton.

The sinkholes have led to more than snarled traffic on local roads and hurt local business, they’ve also dominated conversation around Wharton.

“It’s the only thing anybody’s talking about around here,” said Yazan Muheisen, co-owner of Pop’s Bagel Shop. “They walk in, and it’s like ‘ugh, the traffic.’ That’s what’s on everybody’s mind nowadays. … Everybody’s aggravated, and we’re just ready for things to get back open.”

“A standard five-minute commute to work is now twenty minutes. And it’s crazy. It’s like I’m literally just crossing the street, but it takes you twenty minutes,” said Chris Arthur, a Wharton resident.

The New Jersey Department of Transportation initially anticipated that two westbound lanes would reopen mid-May, but the agency has revised that estimate to late May.

“I’m not surprised. I thought it was really wishful thinking, the dates that they were giving out at first,” said Wharton resident Mateo Cuartas.

“I know the guys up there are working twenty-four hours a day and they’re working really hard. It’s not their fault. But then when they announced that the timeline was pushed back, I was very frustrated,” said Peter Sedereas, co-owner of Townsquare Diner in Wharton. “We knew this was going to happen.”

Businesses like Pop’s Bagel Shop and Townsquare Diner say their losses due to the glut of traffic outside their doors are substantial. The owners of both local favorites have applied for grants to the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, which set up a $5 million fund for businesses affected by the sinkholes.

Townsquare Diner was approved for a $10,000 state grant this week after applying for $15,000 while Pop’s Bagel Shop is still waiting for approval. Businesses in Wharton are also eligible to sign up for federal disaster loans at 4% interest rates.

New Jersey's Department of Transportation has released a new timeline for the reopening of I-80 in Wharton.

It has been closed for weeks to repair sinkholes and voids found under the roadway .

Repairs have been taking place between Exit 34 and the bridge over Route 15.

Here's the DOT's new timeline for the highway repairs:

The DOT says the new timeline is dependent on weather conditions.

NJDOT detours and alternate routes

Gov. Phil Murphy previously declared a state of emergency related to the repairs.

For now, NJDOT says the following detours and alternate routes should continue being used:

I-80 eastbound Exit 34 Detour:

Traffic is advised to use Exit 28 to take Route 10 eastbound or Route 46 eastbound as an alternate route to avoid the area. This exit is several miles before the closure.

Route 10 eastbound Alternate Route:

Route 46 eastbound Alternate Route:

or

Jesse Zanger

Jesse Zanger is the managing editor of CBSNewYork.com. Jesse has previously worked for the Fox News Channel and Spectrum News NY1. He covers regional news around the Tri-State Area, with a particular focus on breaking news and extreme weather.

The state Department of Transportation’s three phase plan to reopen I-80, closed since March due to sinkholes, is progressing with the first phase to reopen two lanes of I-80 west in early May.

The round-the-clock work by DOT crews to reopen the critical east-west highway is the first phase of a plan to reopen two westbound lanes early next month. Two eastbound lanes are scheduled to reopen on May 18 and a full reopening of the entire highway is planned by June 25.

The westbound sinkhole repair includes excavating the area, installing a base of large stone and driving micropiles into bedrock to support a concrete slab, said Steve Schapiro, an NJDOT spokesperson.

Micropiles are multiple steel bars or pipes that are 5 to 12 inches in diameter drilled into the ground as deep as 200 feet that can support up to 200 tons of weight.

Crews completed installing 75% of the micropiles, Schapiro said.

“Installation of the micropiles on I-80 westbound is ongoing,” he said. “The remaining piles are located in more sensitive areas, which by design will take longer to install than the areas that have already been completed.”

Meanwhile, excavation on I-80 east has begun to prepare for pouring the concrete slabs and work is progressing as expected, he said.

The design is similar to one that the DOT used in 2009 on a nearby section of I-80 east near Exit 34. That project dealt with ongoing settlement issues related to the abandoned Huff Mine off Main Street in Wharton, which is located under I-80 at mile marker 33.6.

That project involved constructing a series of concrete slabs to structurally bridge over an area of 310 feet by 23 feet west of the Main Street underpass structure in Wharton that the I-80 East deceleration and right lanes go over. It was completed in 2010.

I-80 has been closed at Exit 34 in Wharton since March 19, when a third sinkhole opened on the median next to the westbound lanes. A second sinkhole opened on Feb. 10, closing the eastbound lanes.

The start of a related project, repairs to the I-80 bridges over Route 15 was delayed due to weather and work began Tuesday, April 16, and is expected to be completed on or about April 30, Schapiro said.

The work repairs bridge joints and concrete spalling, which is deterioration of the concrete cover on the bridge piers caused by natural bridge aging. That deterioration isn’t related to the I-80 sinkholes and the ongoing repairs, officials said.

The Route 15 work is taking place from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Friday nights and requires shifting traffic lanes as necessary to do the work so all lanes remain open to traffic, Schapiro said.

Traffic on I-80 East is still being detoured at Exit 34 in Wharton, and drivers are being asked to get off earlier at Exit 28 to use Routes 46 and 10 as alternates. That has resulted in heavy traffic on local streets in Wharton and other towns.

Local business owners on detour routes in Wharton and other towns asked state officials for help because detouring traffic was preventing customers from visiting their businesses.

The first assistance for beleaguered business owners on the detour routes started this week when the state Economic Development Authority announced an application schedule for grants.

Applications for the Route 80 Business Assistance Grant Program will be available starting at 10 a.m., Tuesday, April 22, for businesses in a 5-mile radius the sinkholes near Exit 34 in Wharton.

“This grant program is a lifeline for the small businesses that have endured months of financial hardship due to lane closures and traffic congestion,” said State Senate Minority Leader Anthony M. Bucco, R-Morris, who, along with Assemblywoman Aura Dunn, R-Morris, lobbied for help for affected businesses.

Criteria and grant amounts can be found on the EDA website. The federal Small Business Administration is also assisting the state grant program.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @CommutingLarry