They're Fixing a Hole

Yes it's a post about the sinkholes on route 80. You're probably tired of hearing about it by now. (https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2025/03/a-three-hour-tour.html and https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2025/04/driving-in-dark.html.) I'm definitely tired of driving it by now. And I know I'm not alone. 


I said before, I know the crews are hard at work. I see them when I drive west early in the morning. I kind of see them when I drive east in the late afternoon. I see lots of trucks. I see lots of police cars. I see lots of equipment on the road. I believe they are working. I believe they are working hard to rectify the situation. 


However, this has been going on for way too long. Memorial Day weekend is fast creeping up on us. This situation has been a nightmare at its only going to be worse once more people are on the road for vacations and such over the summer. 


I am unhappy with what's going on. (No surprise there.) Again I say it has nothing to do with the people who are making the repairs, I am really unhappy with the fact that there has been no new update on what is going on. It seems to me we deserve to know what's going on. So what IS going on? I wish I knew.


For example, initially we were told that 2 lanes westbound would be open by the beginning of May.  That didn't happen.  There was an update and now 2 lanes westbound are supposed to be open by the END of May.  Then there's east bound.  Two lanes are supposed to be open by mid-May.  As I see it, it IS mid-May.  I don't see any lanes reopened.  I don't see any update giving a date that would correspond with "mid-May."  And then there's the teaser that the whole highway will reopen by the end of June. June 25th is still the date that I'm hearing, but there's been no real update since April.  (Am I missing something?  If so, let me know.  I would be happy to be wrong...I'm just seeking information.)


Then there was the "collapsed sewer basin," on Monday.  NOT a sinkhole as NJ DOT was quick to point out.  But does that really matter?  This "collapsed sewer basin," occurred near Exit 37.  The sink hole repair is happening near Exit 34.  Kind of makes you go "hmmmmm," doesn't it?  Should I mention the "sinkhole" that happened on Route 287 (in a stretch of road not too far from Route 80) that occurred in late March?  (That one got "fixed" relatively quickly.)


I'm no expert, but it seems like there is a lot of scary stuff going on in the area.  "Stuff" that needs to be fixed and investigated.  Because it keeps happening.  Sinkholes, collapsed sewer basins...I don't care what you call them, but there are HOLES in the road.  And when I say road, I mean MAJOR thoroughfare.  Route 80 stretches from California to NJ.  Route 287 goes through NJ and NY.  These are roads that are heavily traveled.  These "disruptions" don't just affect daily travelers, but impacts commerce.


I know road maintenance is not "sexy", but it is something that needs to be done.  We like to bury our heads in the sand (or maybe in the sink hole) and ignore the fact that our roads and bridges are old.  We can't ignore that.  Hmmm...what happens when we do?  Could a major highway built over abandoned mines cause problems?  Maybe no one was thinking about it in the 1960s or 70s, but here we are in 2025.  Traffic isn't going away.  We need to monitor and care for our roads.  Not the roads in NJ.  Not the roads in the tri-state area, but ALL of our infrastructure.  And that goes beyond "just" roads.  Do I have to bring up what has been going on at Newark Airport?  (If you don't know...Google it now.)


This isn't an issue that's going to go away.  This isn't a problem that was caused by one party or another, or more administration or another.  This is a problem that EVERYONE seems to have been ignoring for DECADES and now it is coming back to bite us in our proverbial butts.


So it's time for those "in charge" (and I use the term loosely) to get off their butts and get to work.  To make the roads, the rails, the air and the sea SAFE.  It's not just about fixing a hole...it's about fixing a WHOLE lot.

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