Lawmakers Push Bipartisan Bill to Find and Fix Hundreds of Abandoned NJ Mines
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, The terrifying six-month shutdown of Route 80 near Wharton due to sinkholes—a disaster that ultimately cost taxpayers $30 million—was a direct result of abandoned, unfilled mining shafts beneath the highway. Now, as the one-year anniversary of the initial collapse approaches, two influential state senators are demanding action to prevent this “costly and dangerous” problem from recurring.
State Senators Anthony Bucco (R-Morris) and Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen) have introduced a bipartisan bill aimed at tackling New Jersey’s vast network of abandoned mines, a hidden threat that poses a major risk to infrastructure, property, and human life.
