MORRIS COUNTY — The Assembly Transportation Committee on Monday released a bill that establishes an abandoned mine reclamation program in the state Department of Transportation.
“New Jersey families deserve a transportation system that is safe and reliable, not one that leaves communities vulnerable to preventable failures beneath our roads. The collapse of I-80 earlier this year made that painfully clear,” Assemblywoman Aura Dunn (R-Morris) said in a written statement. “The shutdown disrupted daily life for months, diverted thousands of commuters, slowed emergency response times, hurt small businesses, and cost the state more than $25 million. The economic, safety, and quality-of-life consequences were enormous.”
The bill (A6069) directs the NJDOT to map all abandoned mines, vestiges of the state’s once booming iron-mining industry, spread throughout Morris, Sussex, Passaic and Warren counties. The department will prioritize identifying and remediating high-risk sites at no cost to private landowners, but funded through the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program Fund, which the legislation creates. That fund would receive federal and state money, and private donations.
Travelers and businesses suffered after three sinkholes formed along Route 80 in Wharton between December 2024 and March 2025. The highway was finally, fully opened in June.
Dunn worked closely with state and local officials to ensure timely repairs, and supported all legislative efforts to assist businesses and workers impacted by the closures.
“This is not a partisan issue. It is a public safety issue, an economic stability issue, and a responsible-governance issue,” Dunn said. “New Jersey residents expect us to plan ahead, act wisely, and protect the infrastructure they rely on every day.”
The state Department of Environmental Protection lists nearly 600 known abandoned mines.
