Photos show snarled traffic and crews at the scene evaluating the extent of the damage of the sinkhole that closed a section of Interstate 80.

A sinkhole on a New Jersey interstate that's closed eastbound traffic for over 24 hours was caused by a collapse of abandoned mineshaft, officials said.

The highway's guardrail still hung suspended in the air across the gaping 40-foot-wide (12-meter) hole, which opened up when an abandoned mine collapsed under the highway's right shoulder Thursday morning, according to the New Jersey Department of Transportation.