After months of suffering traffic-induced misery, people in Wharton in Morris County have reason to be optimistic after the reopening of I-80. Traffic noticeably decreased Thursday in Wharton after the interstate opened two eastbound lanes on Wednesday, following months of work from the state’s Department of Transportation to fill sinkholes and other voids. All lanes of I-80 had been closed near Exit 34 since mid-March, flooding the area with more cars and trucks.
“We had COVID beat the hell out of us. We had the sinkholes beat the hell out of us. And I think the locusts are coming in,” joked Jim Hill, owner of Wharton’s Knotty Pine Pub.
Yazan Muheisen, co-owner of Pop’s Bagel Shop, added: “It definitely is a big difference. We’re back to where it used to be before all of this. We definitely have seen a lot of faces that we haven’t seen in four months, so it’s nice to see our regulars start to come back and endure less traffic.”
Both businesses requested and received state grants from the Economic Development Authority, which set aside $5.5 million for businesses located within five miles of Exit 34 that suffered because of I-80’s closure.
“Generally, I think the feedback’s been pretty positive,” said Tim Sullivan, EDA’s president and CEO. “Obviously, it’s a really tough time. So we’re not expecting thank-you cards and a parade.”
Sullivan said that $2 million of the allotted $5.5 million has been approved so far, while $1.4 million has been disbursed. Last week, the grant program was expanded by $500,000 to include affected businesses in Sussex County. Previously, Gov. Phil Murphy’s disaster declaration only included Morris County.
As of Thursday afternoon, 818 businesses had applied for EDA grants, while around 300 of them were approved, according to Sullivan. He said few businesses would be turned down, but that businesses could be more likely to be rejected if they owed New Jersey back taxes or have violations with the Department of Labor.
NJDOT said that two lanes of I-80 Westbound are scheduled to open next week, while the entire interstate could be up and running in late June.
