ALBANY, N.Y. /New York Netwire/ — NY Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Queens Midtown Tunnel, which was flooded during Hurricane Sandy, will reopen for drivers in time for the Friday morning rush hour.
The tunnel will reopen at 6 a.m. with two inbound and two outbound lanes. No trucks will be permitted to use the tunnel. The reopening will ease commutes for drivers entering Manhattan from Queens and Long Island, who have not been able to use the tunnel since the storm hit.
“The recovery of New York’s transportation network continues,” Governor Cuomo said. “Pumping out this tunnel, rebuilding its systems and bringing it back for New Yorkers was an incredible accomplishment and commuters will begin to see the results tomorrow morning.”
The Queens Midtown Tunnel reopened for limited express bus Tuesday morning. Trucks are still not allowed in the tunnel until further notice. It remains subject to overnight closure as crews continue to repair significant damage to mechanical, ventilation, lighting, communications and other systems caused by the flooding.
“Bringing back the Queens Midtown Tunnel seemed like an impossible job after the storm, but MTA Bridges and Tunnels workers have done the impossible,” said MTA Chairman and CEO Joseph J. Lhota. “They have worked around the clock to restore a critical link in New York’s transportation network and help bring New York back to normal.”
