Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
MTA worker tasted water flooding in Queens-Midtown Tunnel to determine source of leak
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Sep 25, 2024
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty Images
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Sep 25, 2024
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
When a deluge of water poured into the Queens-Midtown Tunnel earlier this month, MTA crews spent hours trying to figure out the source of the leak that forced officials to temporarily close the busy crossing.
The case was finally cracked when a brave MTA worker tasted the mysterious liquid pouring into the tube, transit officials said on Wednesday. The worker found the water was salty, which meant it was coming in from the East River and not from a burst water main.
“How we determined it was salt?” MTA Bridges and Tunnels President Cathy Sheridan said during a news conference. “Yes, someone did taste it.”
“Yum, yum,” MTA Chair Janno Lieber responded.
MTA officials reported the leak around 10 a.m. on Sept. 4 — but about two hours passed before the worker put their palate to use to discover the water’s briny notes, according to a timeline of the incident shared by the agency. The MTA initially reported the leak was caused by a broken water main, which would have spilled fresh water. But the East River's water is salty, because it's not a river at all, but a mighty tidal estuary that flows between New York Harbor and the Long Island Sound.
The salty flavor led MTA crews to investigate a barge set on the waterway above the tunnel, where a construction company was drilling as part of a project to expand Manhattan’s East Side greenway. Officials closed the crossing, which is used by about 90,000 drivers daily, out of fears that the company's drill compromised the tunnel's structural integrity.
MTA workers dispatched crews to make temporary repairs, and fully reopened the tunnel by 5:37 p.m., officials said. City officials said the workers who caused the leak drilled 50 feet beneath the riverbed, deep enough to snag the tunnel.
Transit officials said they did not determine how much water ultimately flowed into the tunnel, but Lieber said “there was never more water than the tunnel’s normal drainage system could accommodate.”
Tagged
new york city
queens
manhattan
transportation
Ramsey Khalifeh
Ramsey Khalifeh is a transportation reporter on the NYC Accountability desk covering the largest transit system in the country. He was previously a general assignment reporter at Gothamist and worked on the Boston Globe's metro and copy desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 4:15 p.m. ET
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
NYC nor’easter dries up after weather service reports minor flooding
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .