I-80 in Wharton, N.J. reopens 2 westbound lanes after sinkholes
Slowly but surely, progress is being made to reopen I-80 in Wharton, New Jersey. Two westbound lanes reopened Friday night.
The major highway in Morris County was shut down when a sinkhole opened up back in February. It followed another massive sinkhole last December.
Drivers in the Wharton area have grown all too familiar with the daily gridlock after thousands of cars and trucks were diverted off the interstate, flooding local roadways.
"Crazy, I'm telling you," said Wharton resident Carlos Ramseyer. "You've got to change up your schedule, go to the supermarket at 1 o'clock in the morning. I mean, it's been a headache."
Nearly four months after the shutdown, locals still aren't used to all the extra traffic.
"Pretty much every day of the week, your local trips to the grocery store, the coffee shop, have become a traffic jam," Randolph resident Anthony Rotolo said. "I'll be cleaning the soot off my house on Sussex Turnpike when this is all over."
I-80 in N.J. scheduled to fully reopen next month
Last week, there was finally some relief as two eastbound lanes reopened -- easing traffic along some of the detours.
Business at Pop's Bagel Shop on North Main Street took a major hit for months as many customers were unwilling to brave the traffic and steered clear. But now, business is back.
"There's customers that we haven't seen in four months. And they're like, 'Hey Yaz. What's going on? We miss you.' So it's good to see everybody starting to come back," worker Yazan Muheisen said Friday.
Drivers say they're glad to hear the two westbound lanes are also reopening, but they remain cautiously optimistic.
"We have to see it first," said Ramseyer. "They've promised that for the last month, or so, but they keep extending it."
One lane is still closed in each direction.
Crews will continue working around the clock, with the hope of having all lanes reopen in both directions by the end of June.
