The sinkholes that shut down and immobilized Interstate 80 traffic for three months cost tens of millions of dollars to permanently fix them and reopen the state’s busiest east-west interstate highway.

Construction costs were approximately $30 million and approximately 50 New Jersey Department of Transportation employees assisted in the repairs, said Steve Schapiro, an NJDOT spokesperson. Overtime costs for DOT crews were approximately $565,000, he said.

State Police overtime came to $5.22 million which has been reimbursed by the DOT, said Sergeant First Class Charles Marchan, a State Police spokesman.

That was for traffic control during months when traffic was detoured from I-80 in Wharton and on to local streets of several towns and other state highways.

Will the state get stuck wi

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