A 127-year-old water main beneath Times Square in New York City burst early Tuesday, flooding midtown streets and the crowded Times Square subway station, according to a report by the Associated Press.
According to Rohit Aggarwala, commissioner of New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection, the 20-inch (half-meter) water main gave way under 40th Street and Seventh Avenue at about 3 a.m.
According to Aggarwala, it took DEP employees nearly an hour to locate the leak and turn off the water.
The excavation left “a big hole at the intersection of 40th Street and Seventh Avenue,” he said.
While the intersection remained restricted to vehicular traffic, nearby streets reopened in time for rush hour.
However, subway service on the 1, 2, and 3 lines, which run directly beneath the damaged pipe, was suspended across much of Manhattan.
According to Aggarwala, only two local companies looked to be without water at the start of the workday.