Massive Sinkhole on I-80 in Wharton, NJ: Captured Footage Reveals Initial Moments

WHARTON, N.J. — New police body-camera footage shows the moments after the massive sinkhole on I-80 in Wharton, New Jersey opened up.

The sinkhole has shuttered the roadway since December.

Repairs have been ongoing since then, and work is expected to continue for several more weeks.

The closures have frustrated local business owners and led to congestion on detour routes, often bringing traffic to a standstill in Wharton and neighboring communities in Morris County.

The sinkhole’s formation was promptly attributed to the area’s mining past, with the destruction of an abandoned mineshaft beneath I-80 pinpointed as the cause. Since the collapse in December, more sinkholes have emerged.

The video, captured by a New Jersey State Police trooper and provided in response to a request from ABC News under New Jersey state law, depicts two drivers standing in disbelief just steps away from the sinkhole.

This stretch of I-80 is frequently used by both local commuters along with long-distance drivers traveling between the New York metropolitan area and Pennsylvania, Upstate New York or the Midwest.

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Commuters impacted by detours were encouraged to ride New Jersey Transit trains since the agency has a station in Mount Arlington, west of the area where the sinkholes formed, but rail service is currently suspended due to a strike by engineers.

NJDOT officials expect two eastbound lanes to reopen next week. Two lanes in the westbound direction are set to reopen by the end of the month.

The agency expects the roadway to be 100 percent functional by the end of June.

ABC News contributed to this report.