A construction crew using what appeared to be a drill ruptured a 20-inch water main in Queens Friday morning, flooding streets, disrupting traffic and delaying subway trains, officials said.
The rupture sent up a geyser of water caught on video by a news helicopter hovering over Queens Boulevard in Elmhurst near the Grand Avenue train station. Several buildings were also evacuated, according to news reports.
The fire department said the main break was called in about 9 a.m. and the leak was under control by 1:38 p.m.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said M train service was suspended in Queens immediately after the break and that E, F and R service was running local between Roosevelt Avenue and Queens Boulevard. Full service was restored at 11:04 a.m., though with delays.
“Water entered into the system from nearby Con Ed ducts,” the MTA said on Facebook. “We have a pump room in the area and it was able to handle the water inflow.”
The Department of Environmental Protection was investigating the main break. Costs for repairing the main break were expected to be passed on to the construction company if it was found to have caused the rupture.
