Residents of the Avalon Wharton apartment building say the recent sinkholes along I-80 are a huge concern.
“It’s scary because it’s only a couple hundred feet away,” said Elliana Dividu. “If a sinkhole can open up randomly in the middle of 80, why wouldn’t it happen right underneath our parking garage? Or right underneath our building?”
Dividu and Liam Gavin have lived in their Avalon Wharton apartments for about two years, and say they’ve noticed more cracks around their building since the sinkholes began opening up. They say AvalonBay Communities, their landlord, played down concerns about the structural integrity of the building, which was built in 2012 on top of an abandoned mineshaft.
AvalonBay Communities hired two engineering firms to make sure the building was safe to live in. According to Veitas Engineers, the second firm hired, “observed cracks, gaps, bumps and wearing do not appear to be recently developed and are consistent with the expected loading, settlement, shrinkage and general wear of a building of this age and construction type. No structurally significant damage to structural elements was observed.”
But residents say they don’t trust either survey.
“Part of the DCA [Department of Community Affairs] inspection process is that the building has to get their own private inspectors who are certified by the DCA. And so who does the Avalon hire? They hire the two engineering firms that help to build the building, which is a blatant conflict of interest,” said Gavin. “They’re going to be liable for any mistakes that were made.”
“While I expect them to do the right thing and have a truthful report, I find it hard to believe that they’re willing to accept any mistakes that they may have made while building the building,” said Dividu.
William Chegwidden, the mayor of Wharton, who did not respond to a request by NJ Spotlight News for comment, has said this building is safe to live in.
“Surveyors and engineers in New Jersey are licensed by the State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, which is part of the state’s Department of Community Affairs (DCA). The inspections were conducted by an independent and licensed professional engineer and land surveyor.
AvalonBay, like all developers, works with a variety of design and engineering firms at many stages during a property’s construction. All third-party inspections have been conducted by reputable, licensed professionals and all findings were generated independently to help ensure our residents’ continued safety. The Wharton Construction Department also conducted their own inspection.”
— Editor’s note: The statement from AvalonBay Communities was added after the video report was broadcast.
