Water from the East River flowed into the Queens Midtown Tunnel on Wednesday afternoon after a drilling contractor accidentally punched a hole in the roof and caused a deluge that terrified drivers, according to officials and shocking video.
Workers were doing “investigative work related to the design of the upcoming UN esplanade project” when they punctured the edge of the tunnel, Josh Kraus of the New York City Economic Development Corporation said at a press conference.
The busy passageway sprang a leak in the south tube on the Queens side around 12:30 p.m., prompting officials to close it for roughly 45 minutes.
A drilling contractor accidentally punched a hole in the roof of the Queens Midtown Tunnel on Wednesday afternoon, causing potential flooding and major traffic delays. X / @whatisnyVideo of the massive leak showed cars driving trough the tunnel as water cascaded down from square openings.
“Well that’s scary,” said someone in a video posted online by @whatisnewyork.
By 3 p.m., officials had reopened one lane in each direction — but traffic remained snarled.
The tunnel fully reopened hours later, according to Mayor Eric Adams.
“Both tunnels are now back open to east/west directions of travel. There will be some residual delays as traffic gets moving in the area. Please be patient,” the mayor wrote on X just after 6 p.m.
MTA CEO Janno Lieber said a city-funded private contractor caused the damage while drilling to find pylons for the East River greenway and that the hole in the roof was 2½ inches in diameter, according to Fox News.
“We determined it was a drilling contractor who drilled about a 2.5-inch hole through the cast-iron liner [of the tunnel],” Cathy Sheridan, president of MTA Bridges and Tunnels, said at the press conference.
“We don’t know when we will be open. We hope it will be within hours and not days,” she said.
Video captured water from the East River entering the tunnel as the leak sprang up on the Queens side of the tunnel around 12:30 p.m., prompting officials to close it for roughly 45 minutes. X / @whatisnySheridan said an interim contractor was on site working on a temporary repair ahead of a more permanent fix.
City officials urged commuters to take public transportation to avoid delays.
The flooding flub comes after the tunnel was partially closed throughout the summer — as the MTA ran tests on 20-ton flood doors designed to protect the tunnel from hurricanes and storms.
The 29-foot structures were installed in 2017, as a part of the $7.6 billion program to repair and reinforce the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
“The MTA is actively pumping water out and two-way traffic has resumed at the north tube. The south tube is still being assessed,” Gov. Kathy Hochul tweeted.
“Please exercise caution if you’re in the area and plan alternate travel routes.”
