Smith Street In Woodbridge Will Be Closed For Months Due To Mysterious Crack

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — Rt. 440/Smith Street between Woodbridge and Perth Amboy will not be reopening anytime soon.

This is after a very large mysterious crack appeared in the middle of the street Thursday. The crack proceeded to get bigger and is currently about a quarter-mile long, running down the length of Smith Street, Woodbridge Police said Tuesday morning. It is about a foot wide.

Officials are still trying to figure out what caused it, and one speculation is construction of a 970,000-square-foot warehouse being built nearby ruptured the road.

Smith Street was first closed Thursday, but Woodbridge Township now says it will remain closed for the next several months as Middlesex County repairs the road.

"There is no determination as to the completion of repairs and reopening of the highway," Woodbridge Police said Tuesday.

"The damaged pavement is on Smith Street in Woodbridge, which is a county road," an NJ Dept. of Transportation spokesman said Tuesday. "At the request of the county, NJDOT closed the Rt. 440 northbound ramp to Smith Street and the Rt. 9 northbound ramp to Smith Street on Thursday afternoon, September 4. The ramps will remain closed until the county completes its work on Smith Street."

Smith Street homeowners told News 12 they fear the large crack could expand to the foundation of their homes. Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac toured Smith Street last week and met with homeowners. McCormac said he also wants to make sure natural gas, sewer and water lines that run under Smith Street are not ruptured.

That part of Smith Street is a main artery connecting Perth Amboy to Woodbridge. Here is the detour if you need to use that road:

Smith Street is closed westbound from Rt. 35 to the Garden State Parkway bridge and eastbound from Highland Ave. to Route 35. Additionally, the detour consists of a closure at Florida Grove Road and Smith Street. Traffic will be detoured onto Florida Grove Road from Perth Amboy to New Brunswick Avenue to Crows Mill Road extension back to Riverside Drive/Smith Street. Local residents can access their homes via Highland Ave.

If you live on Judy, Glenn and Dino drives, you can still access your homes via Highland Road. The ramp from Smith Street eastbound to Fayette Street is also closed.