These weren’t your average potholes.
After three large sinkholes caused parts of the eastbound lanes of New Jersey’s I-80 to cave in near Wharton in Morris County beginning in December, state officials say the highway will fully reopen Saturday thanks to months of major repairs.
Gov. Phil Murphy said all three eastbound lanes will reopen at 9 a.m. Saturday, with the work wrapping up four days ahead of schedule. They will be closed one last time Friday at 9 p.m. for final paving and striping, during which traffic will be detoured at Exit 34 to Route 15.
The reopening comes just in time for the busy summer travel season, including around July Fourth. It’s also a welcome relief for drivers who use the regional artery to get east and west across North Jersey.
“The repairs are permanent, and I am confident that the highway is now stronger and safer than it was before the first sinkhole developed,” state Transportation Commissioner Fran O’Connor said in a statement. “The engineering and magnitude of work that went into stabilizing and strengthening this road for decades to come is truly remarkable.”
The sinkhole that opened in February 2025 on I-80 near Wharton, New Jersey.
New Jersey officials closed the eastbound and westbound lanes of I-80 near Wharton out of an abundance of caution after the sinkholes appeared. The first materialized in the right shoulder of the eastbound highway in late December, followed by a second in the eastbound center lane in February and a third in the median in the eastbound work zone in March.
That month, workers found what officials called “a significant void” under the left westbound lane. Crews conducted extensive repairs to stabilize and rehabilitate both sides of the interstate. The sinkholes were related to abandoned iron mines in the area.
Two of the westbound lanes reopened May 30, and all three fully reopened last Saturday, 11 days ahead of schedule. Two of the eastbound lanes reopened May 21, Murphy’s office said.
