A massive sinkhole continues to grow in New Jersey, bringing fears that it may soon threaten a nearby interstate.
Part of Ramsey Avenue in Hillside, New Jersey, initially collapsed in April, and the dangerous sinkhole has grown in the months since. A video of the sinkhole shared by the Weather Channel shows a massive, black maw opening in the road. The sinkhole is surrounded by fencing so motorists will turn around before they approach it, but as the sinkhole grows it could threaten the structural integrity of the Interstate 78 overpass.
Heavy rainfall in the Northeast has recently caused myriad problems, most severely inundating New York City with dangerous floodwaters last Friday. New Jersey has seen high amounts of rain as well, and the wet weather is causing the sinkhole to grow. Parts of the state received nearly 2 inches of rain from Friday's storm.
Sinkholes can have numerous causes, such as rainwater seeping into the ground with nowhere to drain. Hillside officials worry that more wet weather could worsen the sinkhole.
"It's been getting bigger and bigger," Lisa Bonanno, Hillside Township Council vice president, told the News 12 New Jersey channel. "You know we really have had a lot of rain and a lot of strange weather occurrences in the state, so it's only been sinking deeper."
Newsweek reached out to Bonanno by email for comment.
In September alone, Newark Liberty International Airport, which is close to Hillside, received 8 inches of rainfall, more than double its average amount.
"That's twice of what they would typically see, and a lot of that fell in a hurry in the last 10 to 14 days," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski told Newsweek. "That's a significant amount of rain in a relatively short amount of time."
The area could be subject to more rain as well, with an inch and a half to 2 inches forecast for parts of New Jersey late Friday and into Saturday.
Council members are worried that the sinkhole will bring an ever-increasing price tag as it continues to grow, and they're waiting for state officials to approve their funding request so repairs can begin.
In the meantime, officials have expressed concern over the threat to the Interstate 78 overpass as the sinkhole encroaches on nearby structural beams.
"Our concern as a council as well [is] what is it doing to the structure of 78 or that bridge over it," Craig Epps, Hillside Township president, told News 12 New Jersey. "We don't want it to collapse down. So we want to get it done as soon as possible."
But repairs could take six months, and according to the Weather Channel, state officials told the township they won't be able to assist with repairs until March 2024. That means the sinkhole could be subject to harsh winter weather.
In addition to threatening the nearby interstate, the sinkhole is causing a headache for local businesses. Besides the threat to their buildings' structural integrity, motorists may have difficulty accessing the businesses because of road closures around the hole.
About the writer
Anna Skinner is a Newsweek senior reporter based in Indianapolis. Her focus is reporting on the climate, environment and weather ... Read more
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