The Queens Midtown Tunnel was shut down to traffic midday Wednesday and remained partially closed through the afternoon after a construction accident caused it to flood, bringing traffic to a standstill.
The north tube had reopened by 3 p.m., but the south tube remained closed as of 4 p.m., and traffic was bi-directional in the north tube. The cause of the accident was not immediately clear, but the tunnels were flooded with water just after noon on Wednesday. The MTA was pumping water out of the tunnel through the afternoon.
Officials said a contractor on a nearby construction project — the long-gestating completion of the East River Greenway near the United Nations — accidentally drilled a 2.5-inch hole into the roof of the tunnel, causing water to flood the roadway below at about 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 4. The greenway segment is set to be detached from land, on a structure whose foundation will be within the riverbed.
That work is being done by contractors for the city’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC), which was confirmed by a spokesperson for the agency, and later publicly by EDC Chief Infrastructure Officer Josh Krauss.
“Earlier today, a subcontractor to EDC’s design consultant doing preliminary investigation work on the East River Esplanade drilled a small perforation in the outer casing of the Queens Midtown Tunnel. Water entered the southbound tunnel’s roadway through ventilation ducts,” said EDC spokesperson Adrien Lesser. “We are working closely with City Hall, NYCEM, MTA, and other city agencies as we continue to respond.”
Krauss said at a press conference that the subcontractor, Warren George, was working under a larger contract for AECOM on investigating “geotechnical conditions” under the East River, work that included drilling under the water and soil, but accidentally drilled into the tunnel roof.
Cathy Sheridan, the president of MTA Bridges & Tunnels, said a plug for the hole had been put into place, but couldn’t say when the south tunnel would reopen. She said it would hopefully be reopened “within hours, not days” before the agency could return for a permanent repair job.
AECOM did not immediately return a request for comment; Warren George declined to comment.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information is learned.
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