NJDOT Route 287 Sinkhole

“It isn’t just guide-rail damage,” an NJDOT area supervisor reported back to a dispatcher. “We’re losing the road.” I-287, one of New Jersey’s busiest interstate highways, was nearly washed away by a raging Rockaway River during Hurricane Irene. IEW Construction Group was dispatched under an NJDOT North Maintenance Contract to somehow quell the crumbling highway due to Hurricane Irene’s torrential outpouring of 8 inches of rain in an 18 hour period. IEW responded with 420 loads of large diameter rock to fill the missing section of road and supporting earth, and then overlaid it with 12 inches of dense graded aggregate and 13 inches of asphalt. Guide rail was pounded in less than 4 hours before the roadway reopened. Called “The Miracle of I-287”, this project opened the roadway in 3 days, highlighting IEW Construction Group’s lightning fast response and efficiency.