There was a water leak in one of the busiest tunnels connecting Manhattan to the other boroughs, and the big shutdown stemmed from a big mistake by a drilling company contracted by the city. NBC New York’s Chris Jose reports.
Commuters looking to drive into Manhattan should avoid the Queens-Midtown Tunnel at all costs, as a drilling mistake Wednesday led to water leaking into the tunnel and closing down both tubes for hours, snarling traffic for miles.
A contractor working for the New York City Economic Development Corporation mistakenly drilled a small hole in the outer casing of the tunnel while doing preliminary work on the East River Esplanade around 12:30 p.m., according to a spokesperson. From that 2.5-inch hole on the outside edge of the tunnel, water was able to get into the south tube via the ventilation ducts, the spokesperson said, and leak onto cars passing through.
A video posted by one driver to Facebook showed the leaking water splash across his windshield.
"Tell me why the tunnel is leaking. What's going on here?" the driver reacted on the video.
As a result of the leak, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority sent out alerts before 1:30 p.m. that all lanes in both tubes of the heavily trafficked tunnel connecting Manhattan and Queens under the East River were "temporarily closed." It took about an hour and a half before the north tube could reopen to two-way traffic, officials said.
All lanes in both tubes finally reopened just before 6 p.m., and heavy traffic delays lasted for hours, not subsiding until later in the evening.
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"Engineers are on site to evaluate any damage and begin on repairs, and the northbound tunnel has been temporarily converted to handle two-way traffic while the southbound tunnel is closed," an EDC spokesperson said. "We are working closely with City Hall, NYCEM, MTA, and other city agencies as we continue to respond."
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The repairs being done Wednesday night would be interim fixes, an official said at a press conference, with a permanent fix expected to come at a later time. But a plug was in place and the leak had subsided, according to the official.
The contractor, working for company Warren George, had drilled 100 feet from the surface — 50 feet through water and 50 feet through soil. Drilling company Warren George did not issue a statement in the aftermath of the leak.
An investigation into what happened was ongoing.
The MTA, which initially blamed the leak on a water main break but later deleted their tweet, had said all buses would be detoured and there were delays on the east side of Manhattan due to increased traffic. According to MTA.info, QM 1/2/3/4/5/6/10/12/20/24/31/32/34/36/40/42/44 buses will use the 59th St Bridge to proceed to the Long Island Expressway in both directions.
QM 7/8/11/25 buses will use the Williamsburg Bridge.
Meanwhile, the Queensboro Bridge is partially closed Wednesday through Saturday for the replacement of the upper roadway, according to the Department of Transportation. Single-lane Manhattan-bound north upper roadway will be closed 24 hours from Wednesday to Saturday. Double-lane will be closed through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Tuesday to Friday from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. the next morning. Queens-bound south outer roadway will be closed Sunday to Saturday from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. next morning.
The Queens Midtown Tunnel was opened in 1940 to help relieve congestion on East River bridges.
