New Options To Bypass Sinkhole Traffic On Route 80

PARSIPPANY, NJ — Drivers impacted by the three sinkholes on Interstate 80 now have new options.

On Monday, NJ Transit enacted a 50 percent discount on roundtrip tickets from "select" stations. These stations include: Hackettstown, Mount Olive, Netcong, Lake Hopatcong, and Mount Arlington.

Customers using these stations will not need to purchase a fare when boarding. Riders should also let the train crew know if they are transferring at Newark Broad Street Station or Summit Station to continue to New York Penn Station, and they will receive a transfer ticket, according to the NJ Transit page.

For the return trip, customers will only need to purchase a one-way ticket back to one of these five stations, providing a full 50% discount on roundtrip travel, according to NJ Transit.

This development to bypass the Interstate was announced after three sinkholes emerged last week on the highway. As of Monday, I-80 West remains closed and detoured at Exit 34B in Wharton until further notice.

After the third sinkhole opened on I-80, Senator Anthony Bucco sent a letter to Governor Phil Murphy on Thursday proposing a collaboration between NJ Transit and the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) to increase public transit options for Route 80 commuters.

"I think that temporarily we've got to secure that area so that we can get that artery reopened," Bucco said in a call to New Jersey radio station 101.5. "The impact on commuters here is [going to be] just horrendous and also the impact on the surrounding municipalities as we detour this traffic off of both sides of the road now."