NEW YORK (AP) — An underwater tunnel that passes beneath New York City’s East River sprung a leak Wednesday after a city contractor mistakenly drilled a hole through it, sending streams of water into the heavily used passage as officials scrambled to plug the opening and block off traffic.
The accidental puncture came at around 12:30 p.m. on the Manhattan side of the Queens-Midtown Tunnel, which carries nearly 100,000 drivers into and out of the heart of the city each day.
Cathy Sheridan, the president of MTA Bridges and Tunnels, said the commercial drilling company inadvertently bore a 2.5-inch (6.3-cm) hole through the tunnel’s cast iron lining, allowing water to seep through the exhaust duct and into the tube.
“There are many redundancies in the tunnel but, you know, when someone drills through all those layers, it’s going to cause a leak,” Sheridan said at a press conference.
Videos shared to social media showed water cascading out of the tunnel’s overhead vents and splashing onto vehicles below. “Tell me why the tunnel is leaking?” one driver can be heard asking. “What’s going on here?”
No one was harmed from the leak and an investigation is ongoing, officials said.
“As I understand it, they drilled 100 feet (30.5 m) from the surface of the water — about 50 feet (15.25 m) through water, then another 50 feet through soil — then to the tunnel,” Sheridan said.
The drilling contractor, Warren George, was conducting underwater investigative work for the city for a new esplanade that will pass by the United Nations building, according to Josh Krauss, the chief infrastructure officer at the city’s Economic Development Corporation.
Reached by phone, an employee for the drilling company declined to comment.
FILE - People walk along the East River at Main Street Park, April 9, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Jake Sanderson scored 15 seconds into overtime and the Ottawa Senators stretched their win streak to six games with a 5-4 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night.
It’s the first time since March 2017 that Ottawa has won six in a row.
Shane Pinto scored twice for the Senators, Claude Giroux added a goal and Josh Norris scored short-handed. Sanderson also contributed a pair of assists.
Leevi Merilainen stopped 21 shots to earn his first NHL victory.
Brock Boeser scored twice for the Canucks, and Quinn Hughes had a goal and two assists. Jake DeBrusk rounded out the scoring for a Vancouver side that lost its third straight outing (0-1-2). Kevin Lankinen made 17 saves.
Canucks: The team has lost four of its last five outings and some of its top stars have gone cold offensively. J.T. Miller has not scored in the six games he’s played since returning from a 10-game absence, Elias Pettersson does not have a point in his last six outings and Conor Garland last recorded a goal on Nov. 29.
Senators: Merilainen stepped in for Linus Ullmark, who has been a superstar for Ottawa in recent weeks. Heading into Saturday, Ullmark had powered the team to five straight victories after backup Anton Forsberg went down with an injury during a pre-game skate on Dec. 14.
Boeser knotted the score at 4 with 4:50 left in the game when he blasted a rebound past Merilainen.
Hughes now has 40 points on the season (eight goals, 32 assists). He is the seventh defenseman in NHL history to hit the mark in 33 or fewer games in multiple seasons.
The Senators visit the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday, and the Canucks host the San Jose Sharks on Monday.
AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
Ottawa Senators' Jake Sanderson (85) scores on Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko (35) during overtime of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)
Ottawa Senators goaltender Leevi Merilainen (1) stops the puck against the Vancouver Canucks during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)
Vancouver Canucks' Brock Boeser, right, celebrates his goal against the Ottawa Senators with Quinn Hughes (43) during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)
Ottawa Senators' Jake Sanderson (85) celebrates his game-winning goal with Brady Tkachuk (7) after overtime of an NHL hockey game against the Vancouver Canucks in Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)
