Sea water started flowing inside the Queens-Midtown tunnel on Wednesday afternoon, forcing authorities the close it down for a time. September 4, 2024.
© J. Kyle Foster/Naples Daily News / © Corey Perrine / USA TODAY NETWORK
(New York, NY) – New York City Mayor Eric Adams provided an update on repairs being made inside the Queens-Midtown Tunnel on Wednesday, after repair work led to flooding inside one of the tubes. About three hours after the incident began, one tube of the tunnel had been re-opened to two-way traffic.
Around 1:30 PM a contractor, not affiliated with the MTA, struck a pipe that allowed sea water to flow into the tunnel. A closure then lasted over an hour. It’s not clear what that contractor was working on, but the end result was a series of headaches for motorists as well as mass transit commuters.
Drivers were urged to avoid the area and find alternate routes. Buses were detoured in order to avoid the tunnel. Even local buses on the East Side faced delays. Governor Hochul later provided an update as well, saying “the MTA is actively pumping water out and two-way traffic has resumed at the north tube. The south tube is still being assessed. Please exercise caution if you’re in the area and plan alternate travel routes.”
As of 8:00pm Wednesday, all lanes of the tunnel were reopened in both directions.
