Drivers beware! A portion of Route 440 in Hudson County will be closed in both directions starting on Friday for construction.

Officials say that this is due to a partial sewer collapse more than 15 feet underground near Route 440 and Danforth Avenue in Jersey City – close to the Bayonne border. The 100-year-old pipe must be replaced before the conditions get worse. Officials say that this means the roadway must be closed for emergency construction.

Route 440 southbound will be shut from Danforth Avenue to Communipaw Avenue in Jersey City. Route 440 northbound will be closed from Danforth Avenue to the New Jersey Turnpike entrance.

Officials say that they know closing this portion of the roadway will cause a traffic nightmare for drivers.

“We ask everybody to just leave extra time. Understand, especially during rush hours, you’ll probably be sitting in some traffic for a while,” says Bayonne Office of Emergency Management coordinator Junior Ferrante. “Don’t get frustrated. Allow for extra time and we’ll get through it the best we can.”

Vinnie’s Pizzeria is one of the dozens of businesses in the area that will be impacted by the road closures. But those who work there say the business will survive.

“Vinnie's has been open no matter what. During Hurricane Sandy they were open, they were feeding the community. During the pandemic we were still open, feeding everyone,” says John Gerges.

The partial collapse was discovered during a routine inspection.

The crews needed until now to get the materials for the repairs and to configure the closures and detours.

The northbound closures will last seven days and could cause major delays and backups not just on Route 440, but on the Turnpike extension. The southbound closures are expected to go an extra week.

But the closures will also be dependent on the weather.

Leaders from both cities say they will keep the public updated via social media, municipal websites and Nixle alerts.