Queens-Midtown Tunnel reopens after drilling mistake causes water leak

Published: Sep 04, 2024 Duration: 00:02:53 Category: News & Politics

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WHICH SENT WATER RUSHING IN. GOOD EVENING. THANKS FOR BEING WITH US. I'M STEVE LACY. AND I'M NATASHA VERMA. >> TRAFFIC IN AND OUT OF THE TUNNEL IS RETURNING TO NORMAL TONIGHT. AFTER AN AFTERNOON OF ABSOLUTE GRIDLOCK AROUND 1230 THIS AFTERNOON. A CONTRACTOR ACCIDENTALLY DRILLED INTO THE TUNNEL'S CAST IRON LINER, WHICH SENT CASCADES OF WATER INSIDE AS DRIVERS TRY TO MAKE THEIR WAY THROUGH. >> CREWS WERE ABLE TO TEMPORARILY PLUG THAT TWO INCH HOLE, WHICH MEANT THE NORTH AND SOUTH TUBES COULD REOPEN. EARLIER TONIGHT. BUT WHILE THE TUNNEL WAS FULLY CLOSED, TRAFFIC IN PARTS OF QUEENS AND MANHATTAN CAME TO A STANDSTILL. >> WE HAVE LIVE TEAM COVERAGE TONIGHT. FOX FIVE'S LINDA SCHMIDT ON THE HORRENS COMMUTE MANY DRIVERS FACE. BUT WE START WITH KENDALL GREEN WITH WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED TONIGHT. KENDALL >> GOOD EVENING, STEVE AND NATASHA. THIS WAS HORRIBLE NEWS FOR THOUSANDS OF DRIVERS. THAT TUNNEL WAS SHUT DOWN FOR A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN 4.5 HOURS. FOLLOWING THAT DRILLING ACCIDENT, THAT OFFICIALS ARE STILL WORKING TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THE QUEENS MIDTOWN TUNNEL SHUT DOWN FOR HOURS AFTER DRIVERS GOING THROUGH SPOTTED A WATER LEAK INSIDE OF THE TUNNEL WEDNESDAY. VIDEO SHOWS THIS DRIVER IN THE SOUTH TUBE HEADING TO QUEENS AS A SMALL HOLE IN THE TUNNEL WREAKED HAVOC FOR THE 90,000 DAILY DRIVERS CROSSING FROM BOTH BOROUGHS. >> WE DISCOVERED THIS LEAK AT ABOUT 1230 THIS AFTERNOON AND AN ABUNDANCE OF CAUTION. WE CLOSED BOTH TUBES IN THE TUNNEL UNTIL WE COULD FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS EXACTLY THE CAUSE OF THIS LEAK. THE PRESIDENT OF MTA BRIDGES AND TUNNELS SHARED ALL THE ISSUES WERE THE RESULT OF A DRILLING MISTAKE. WE DETERMINED IT WAS THE DRILLING CONTRACTOR WHO DRILLED ABOUT A 2.5IN HOLE THROUGH THE CAST IRON LINER, WHICH IS ABOVE THE EXHAUST DUCT, AND WE HAVE A CONTRACTOR ON SITE. WE CALLED IN AN EMERGENCY CONTRACTOR. THEY ARE DOING AN INTERIM REPAIR. >> MY COLLEAGUE IS WARREN GEORGE. THEY ARE THE DRILLING COMPANY. THEY WERE DOING WORK UNDER A CONTRACT WITH AECOM. >> WARREN GEORGE INCORPORATED WERE DRILLING A THE VERY EARLY STAGES OF A $120 MILLION PROJECT ALONG THE EAST RIVER TO COMPLETE A GREEN WALKWAY BETWEEN EAST 41ST AND EAST 53RD STREETS, CLOSE TO THE UN. BUT SOMEHOW THEY ENDED UP DRILLING INTO THE QUEENS MIDTOWN TUNNEL, CAUSING A MASSIVE MESS. >> AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THEY DRILLED 100FT FROM THE SURFACE OF THE WATER, ABOUT 50FT THROUGH WATER, AND THEN ANOTHER 53 50FT THROUGH SOIL. >> THEN TO THE TUNNEL, THOUGH THEY STOPPED THE LEAK, MAKING A TEMPORARY REPAIR. THE CITY WILL BEGIN THEIR OWN INVESTIGATION INTW IT HAPPENED. WE REACHED OUT TO THE DRILLING CONTRACTOR AND THEY DECLINED TO COMMENT. >> WE WANT ANSWERS. HOW A NON PROJECT THAT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MTA GOT THE WRONG INFORMATION, GOT IN THE WRONG SPOT AND POKED A HOLE IN THIS IMPORTANT FACILITY. >> NOW THERE IS A TEMPORARY PLUG IN PLACE ALLOWING TRAFFIC TO GO THROUGH, BUT SO FAR THERE'S NO WORD ON HOW LONG IT

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