I-80 East to Shut Overnight, Then Fully Reopen Saturday After Sinkhole Repairs

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ - Interstate 80 drivers will face one last detour through Wharton tonight, Friday, June 20, as transportation crews close the eastbound roadway at Exit 34 from 9 p.m. until 9 a.m. Saturday. The shutdown will give workers the time and space to lay fresh asphalt and paint lane stripes; by mid-morning Saturday, all three eastbound lanes are expected to reopen—four days sooner than the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) originally projected. 

Governor Phil Murphy touted the milestone in a Thursday press release, noting that westbound lanes fully reopened on June 14, eleven days early. 

“I am thrilled to see all lanes of I-80 open safely this weekend so we can ensure that New Jerseyans can get to where they need to go efficiently and safely,” Governor Phil Murphy said. "Importantly, I want to thank the thousands of New Jerseyans who have been impacted by these sinkholes for their patience as we worked to secure this roadway.”

While the pavement cures, eastbound traffic will be diverted off Exit 34 to Route 15. Drivers will loop onto North Main Street, merge onto Route 15 north, execute a U-turn at Pondview Drive, head south on Route 15 and reenter I-80 eastbound. Electronic signs and police details will guide motorists through the roughly two-mile bypass. NJDOT urges travelers to consult 511nj.org for real-time updates and to expect slower-than-normal travel across the Friday-night construction window.

Two sinkholes—each traced to an abandoned iron-mine shaft buried beneath the interstate—opened in December 2024 and March 2025 near mile marker 34, forcing emergency lane closures and round-the-clock repairs. Crews first stabilized the ground with deep concrete grout columns, then rebuilt the roadbed and drainage system. NJDOT reopened two eastbound lanes on May 21 and two westbound lanes on May 30, gradually easing detours that had funneled thousands of cars onto local streets.

The accelerated schedule, officials say, came from adding extra night shifts and favorable weather in early June. 

“With the reopening of all lanes … full mobility will be restored on I-80 in both directions ahead of schedule,” NJDOT Commissioner Fran O’Connor said, adding that the rebuilt roadway is now “stronger and safer than it was before the first sinkhole developed.”

NJDOT will keep geotechnical sensors in place beneath the concrete columns and continue periodic boroscope inspections to make sure the old mine workings stay stable. Engineers also plan to publish a technical report later this summer summarizing the data gathered during the repair. For motorists, however, the most visible change will be the disappearance of orange barrels and the return of a normal 65 mph speed limit in both directions by late Saturday morning.

Avoid I-80 eastbound after 9 p.m. tonight; by breakfast time Saturday, the region’s main cross-state artery should be fully back in business—weeks before the July 4 travel rush and four days ahead of NJDOT’s own deadline.

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