Full Subway Service Restored Following Central Park West Water Main Break
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Tuesday's commute is back on track for New Yorkers impacted by Monday's water main break near 106th and Central Park West.
Full subway service was restored just in time for the morning rush.
At its worst, the rupture caused a full suspension on the B and C lines and significant problems for the A and D lines.
1010 WINS' Terry Sheridan with relieved riders
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The main ruptured at around 11:30 a.m. Monday. It was capped less than two hours later, but significant damage had already been done. The break caused a huge mess of sinkholes and tar.
The break left a crater on 106th Street and flooded the basement and lobby of a nearby building. It also caused flooding at a nearby parking garage, 1010 WINS' Juliet Papa reported. The water also ran into the subway and up to 125th Street.
"It was legitimately a river flowing over what looked like happened to an earthquake. You know, you see these earthquake photos, the road is just like waves," Mary Silverstein told CBS 2's Emily Smith. "My boyfriend went down to the first floor and the ground was shaking so violently."
"All we hear was like a big splash. I was taking a nap and it woke me up, come outside and it's like everywhere," Jean Carlos Valentine said.
Fortunately, the break didn't disrupt gas or water service in the area. The 30-inch main is nearly 100 years old, dating back to 1917.
DEP Commissioner Carter Strickland said it will take some time for the necessary repairs to be made.
So what caused it to happen? Officials say they won't know for quite some time.
"We'll take it and put it under a microscope, but that testing will take several weeks to a couple months to get back -- and then we'll know definitively, but too early to speculate," said Deputy Commissioner of Water and Sewer Operations James Roberts.
