Middlesex County street to close for several months due to mysterious crack in roadway
Officials say the damage stretches about a quarter mile and will require months of repairs.
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A portion of Smith Street, running between Woodbridge and Perth Amboy, will be closed for repairs for the next several months.
It comes as officials with Middlesex County and the two townships try to figure out how it happened.
The Smith Street closure comes after a long crack formed in the road on Thursday.
Local officials say the crack got bigger and bigger as the days passed.
The closure runs between Highland Avenue in Woodbridge to Convery Boulevard in Perth Amboy.
While the repairs and subsequent detours are causing traffic delays, the damage is also concerning to
Homeowners fear the large crack in the ground could expand to their properties and home foundation.
“We need to have someone come out and really tell us, are we safe?” said Koreen Delph, who lives in the Colonial Heights complex alongside Smith Street.
Those homeowners got a visit on Thursday from Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac.
“The primary concern is to make sure those homes are not compromised. And of the road collapses and homes follow, forget about it. That’ll be awful,” said McCormac.
McCormac is also concerned about natural gas, sewer and water lines that run under Smith Street.
Middlesex County officials are in charge of the road repairs.
They’re now trying to determine if the damage was caused by nearby construction of a 970,000-square-foot warehouse.
That project started in June.
