MTA – NBC New York

New York City commuters should seek alternative routes after the Queens-Midtown Tunnel was disrupted after a contractor drilled a hole in one of the tubes, causing water to leak, the city said.

The mayor is expected to address the situation at 4:15 p.m. Watch it live in the player above.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority sent out alerts before 1:30 p.m. that all lanes of the heavily trafficked tunnel connecting Manhattan and Queens under the East River were “temporarily closed.” Officials did not disclose the extent of the water main break, and a tweet posted on the official MTA X account was later deleted.

A video posted by a driver on Facebook shows water “leaking” over his windshield.

“Tell me why there is a leak in the tunnel. What is happening?” the driver responded.

About a year and a half after the closure, Mayor Fabien Levy and MTA spokesman said the northbound tunnel has reopened to two-way traffic.

It remains unclear what caused the leak. “I am referring them to City Hall for details on the nature of the incident,” an agency spokesperson told NBC New York. No public statement has been issued following the deleted tweet.

The MTA had said that all buses had been rerouted and that there were delays on the East Side of Manhattan due to increased traffic. According to MTA.info, QM buses 1/2/3/4/5/6/10/12/20/24/31/32/34/36/40/42/44 would use the 59th Street Bridge to continue toward the LIE in both directions.

QM buses 7/8/11/25 will use the Williamsburg Bridge.

Meanwhile, the Queensboro Bridge is partially closed Wednesday through Saturday for upper carriageway replacement, according to the Department of Transportation. The single-lane upper carriageway northbound toward Manhattan will be closed 24 hours a day Wednesday through Saturday. The double-lane upper carriageway will be closed Wednesday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Tuesday through Friday from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following morning. The southbound outer carriageway toward Queens will be closed Sunday through Saturday from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. the following morning.

The Queens Midtown Tunnel opened in 1940 to help relieve congestion on the East River bridges.