Monster sinkhole opens along major New Jersey highway, leading to closures, traffic delays

A mammoth sinkhole opened along a major New Jersey interstate Thursday morning, closing several lanes and pushing motorists onto local roads to avoid the pit.The sinkhole — which appeared large enough to swallow several cars — opened on the shoulder of Interstate 80 in Wharton sometime around 7:45 a.m., according to NJ.com.

Construction crews swarmed the area around Exit 34 as they tried to work out a solution to the post-Christmas surprise.Meanwhile, the state’s Department of Transportation closed the eastbound lanes — leading to a lengthy backup that clogged the highway.“Motorists should expect delays or plan an alternate route,” a DOT news release said.

Authorities did not report any injuries, the outlet said.Drivers already stuck on the road — which leads into the town of Wharton and continues to Pennsylvania — were advised to ditch the highway and take nearby Route 15 to get around the mess, NBC New York said.

State officials said the detour would be in place until further notice — and a DOT rep told ABC News it’s too soon to know how long it will take workers to fix the gaping hole about 40 miles west of New York City.Thankfully, traffic on the much-traveled road is lighter than usual owing to the holidays, the rep added.

It’s unclear what created the sinkhole, or why it’s so large....