Cars hit big pothole on Garden State Parkway

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(Gallery by Donna Gialanella / The Star-Ledger)

WOODBRIDGE — The sinkhole is 4 feet by 4 feet, and smack in the middle of the right lane of the Garden State Parkway.

Some 18 drivers discovered the deep rut in the highway the hard way after 6 a.m. this morning on their way south approaching the Driscoll Bridge. They were driving, and then the tires slammed into the hole, said Sgt. Adam Grossman of the New Jersey State Police.

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The majority of the cars ended up with flat tires from the impact, and they pulled over to the shoulder in a long line ending on the bridge, said Grossman. But no injuries were reported, he added.

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority is currently working on fixing the sinkhole. Grossman said the agency is hoping to plug the hole and have the highway completely opened by the afternoon’s rush hour.

All the disabled cars were either towed or driven away by 8:30 a.m., Grossman said. The lane with the pothole remains closed while crews work, he added.

The hole was originally described as a “pothole” by authorities.

It's time to repair the potholes, N.J. 6 Gallery: It's time to repair the potholes, N.J.

The Turnpike Authority could not be immediately reached for comment.

Motorists with damaged vehicles from potholes, construction mishaps, windshield damage or snow plows can file damage claims with the Department of Treasury's risk management division, said Tim Greeley, a spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

But Bill Quinn, a Treasury spokesman, said damage claims from Parkway potholes would be handled by the Turnpike Authority.

On other state roads, drivers can complete a different short form to cover a deductible in case of damage caused by potholes, Quinn said.

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