The portion of I-80 eastbound in Wharton that collapsed in a sinkhole will reopen at 9 a.m. Monday, according to the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

“That would be great, especially going into the workweek coming up,” said Cathy Semanski, of Jefferson.

Crews on Sunday filled and paved over the massive sinkhole that broke Thursday on I-80 eastbound in Wharton.

That marked a notable improvement from Saturday, when the cavern in the road was still visible.

The sinkhole broke Thursday morning when an abandoned mineshaft collapsed.

Residents weren’t surprised to hear the cause given the area's history, but were more shocked by the damage it caused.

The sinkhole was 40 feet by 40 feet and shut down traffic on I-80 eastbound for days.

The news was a relief to drivers whose weekend trip to the grocery store became an exercise in patience while interstate traffic was directed through town.

“It affects us greatly,” Semanski said. “We can't get in and out of our neighborhood.”

“I've been taking [Route] 46 to get to work,” said Gus Schiavo. “On the way home, everybody's got to stop and look at the hole, so it takes another 20 minutes to get home.”

Even as construction winds down, questions remain.

“Now we wonder how far the mines might actually go under Route 80,” Semanski said. “That would affect everybody in this area for a long time, should that be a concern in the future.”

DOT officials said they stabilized the area Friday and reconstructed the slope Sunday.