Queens-Midtown Tunnel partially shut after contractor drills hole into tunnel

NEW YORK – The Queens-Midtown Tunnel was partially shut down Wednesday afternoon after a contractor mistakenly drilled a hole into the roof of one the tubes. 

The hole allowed water from the East River to leak into the south tube of the tunnel. 

Mayor Eric Adams called it a “small leak.” 

The leak took place around 12:30 p.m., officials said. Tunnel traffic was initially shut down in both directions. The north tube of the tunnel reopened for traffic in both directions just after 3 p.m.  

Officials said the drill passed through 50 feet of water and then another 50 feet through soil before breaching the tunnel. 

“A drilling contractor, who was performing investigative work related to the design of the U.N. esplanade project – this is something that will ultimately continue the East River waterfront – was doing work in the East River, and accidentally perforated a small in the outside edge of the Queens-Midtown Tunnel,” said Josh Kraus, executive vice president and chief infrastructure officer of the New York City Economic Development Corporation. 

“Working with our partners at the EDC, we determined it was the drilling contractor who drilled about a two-and-a-half inch hole through the cast-iron liner, which is above the exhaust duct,” Cathy Sheridan, president of the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, said. “We called in an emergency contractor. They are doing an interim repair. We don’t know when we will be open. We hope it will be in hours, and not days. And then we will come back later and do a more permanent repair.” 

“We are investigating every aspect, every element of how we got here in this moment,” Kraus said. 

Drivers are urged to use alternate routes. All buses that use the tunnel are being detoured. Chopper 2 was live over the scene, capturing lengthy traffic backups. 

Officials urged New Yorkers to use mass transit, particularly if they were planning on heading to the US Open. 

Gov. Kathy Hochul says she has been briefed on the situation, and “the south tube is still being assessed.” 

What happened in the tunnel

Officials said the contractors were doing preliminary work for a new segment of the East River Esplanade. 

The New York City Economic Development Corporation hired a subcontractor that used a drilling company whose drill went way off the mark, drilling a hole in the roof of one of the tubes of the Queens-Midtown Tunnel, allowing water from the East River to leak into the tube, sources said. 

Video taken inside the tunnel showed a vehicle using its windshield wipers as water seemed to rain within the tunnel. 

In a message posted on social media, the MTA initially said the issue was a water main break. 

They have since said that message was sent in error, and that the cause is a water condition.

Some facts about the Queens-Midtown Tunnel 

The Queens-Midtown Tunnel opened in 1940, and stretches from Hunters Point in Long Island City in Queens to Murray Hill in Manhattan. Each tunnel tube features two lanes, and is more than 7,400 feet long – roughly 1.4 miles. The diameter of each tube is a foot and half wider than the Holland Tunnel. Ole Singstad served as chief engineer of both the Holland and Queens-Midtown tunnels. 

The MTA says roughly 90,000 vehicles use the Queens-Midtown Tunnel each weekday. 

contributed to this report.