From Crisis to Preparedness: Preventing the Next Infrastructure Emergency

NJ League of Municipalities Opinion Editorial

By Assemblywoman Aura K. Dunn, 25th Legislative District

When three massive sinkholes swallowed sections of I-80 in Wharton earlier this year, life in northwest New Jersey came to a standstill. Overnight, thousands of commuters were detoured. Parents scrambled to reroute school drop-offs, businesses suffered steep losses as deliveries slowed and customers stayed away, and local emergency services had to adjust their response times.

The disruption lasted for months, but the lessons from this unfortunate circumstance must be center of mind of every New Jersey legislator in future transportation decisions – planning, budgeting, and deciding the priorities for our state transportation, road and highway obligations.

The sinkholes were not caused by poor pavement or heavy traffic. They were caused by an abandoned mine beneath the roadway, a reminder of the hidden vulnerabilities that threaten New Jersey’s infrastructure. With nearly 600 abandoned mines identified across the state, and almost 10 percent located near major roads, the I-80 crisis was not an isolated event. It was a wake-up call.

The cost of inaction is staggering. Closing I-80 for repairs cost the state more than $25 million, not including law enforcement and emergency management expenses. The shutdown drained an estimated $200,000 a day from our economy. For local communities, the burden was felt in everything from increased traffic control to steep revenue losses suffered by small businesses.

Yet amid the disruption, we also saw the government at its best. New Jersey State Police troopers were the first to identify the growing depression, secure the scene, divert traffic, and alert NJDOT—swift actions that protected motorists and set the stage for a safe, orderly response.

The New Jersey Department of Transportation then worked around the clock. My office coordinated with municipal leaders to hear and listen to their hardships and share updates and address their concerns. Information flowed quickly, helping to restore trust at a moment when frustration was at an all-time high. This transparent, all-hands-on-deck approach helped speed the reopening of the highway: 11 days ahead of schedule on the westbound side and four days ahead on the eastbound side.

This success story should not end at mile marker 34. It should become our model across the state.

Today, the road is open. But unless we take action, another closure is inevitable. That is why I introduced legislation (A.5672) to establish a statewide Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program. This proposal would direct the state to conduct underground surveys before major roadwork, create a centralized system to map and monitor mine sites, and require data-sharing among the Department of Transportation, Department of Environmental Protection, and municipalities.

The goal is simple: shift from reacting to crises, and instead prevent them. Municipal officials know this better than anyone. When roads fail, it is your police who manage detours, your fire departments that face longer response times, your residents who call town hall in frustration, and your small businesses that absorb the losses. Towns bear the brunt, even when the problem originates below the surface of a state highway.

By building a modern mine reclamation program, we can provide municipalities with the information and tools they need to plan ahead. Imagine being able to anticipate where a road is most at risk, coordinate local emergency plans before a collapse, and protect public safety without the uncertainty of “page not found” when you search for mine data on a state website.

This is not a partisan issue. It is a public safety issue, an economic issue, and a good governance issue. Every day we wait, the risks, and the costs, grow.

Municipal leaders are essential partners in this work. Your feedback, your reporting of local concerns, and your advocacy for stronger planning all make a difference. Together, we can move from a system that is fragmented and reactive to one that is coordinated, preventative, and resilient.

The I-80 sinkholes were a disruption to daily life, a threat to public safety, and a reminder of what happens when we fail to prepare. But they were also proof that, when we work together, government can deliver results. Now let’s take that momentum and turn it into prevention and common practice.

New Jersey families, businesses, and drivers deserve infrastructure they can count on, our taxpayers deserve a smarter investment of their dollars, and our municipalities deserve a state partner committed to foresight, not just hindsight.

The road may be open. But our work has only just begun.