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Queens Midtown Tunnel To Have Three Inbound Lanes Open For Morning Commute

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Normal traffic flow will resume Monday morning in the Queens Midtown Tunnel for the first time since superstorm Sandy flooded the tube.

The three driving lanes into the city will be open during peak morning hours, now that repairs to overhead light signals have been completed.

The control system affects the traffic lights inside the tube.

After the storm, authorities said the system could keep the lights only either all green or all red. With the repairs, officials can now have some green and some red lights in the same tube.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the restored 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. traffic pattern will provide relief for inbound commuters coming from Long Island and Queens into Manhattan.

The tunnel was reopened to traffic on Nov. 9 while the repairs to the overhead lighting system were being done.

The tunnel was flooded with millions of gallons of saltwater from the Queens side on Oct. 29. The storm surge forced water from Newtown Creek into the tube.

A video released by the MTA last week showed water rushing through the toll plaza and into the tunnel on the night Sandy hit.

WATCH THE VIDEO:

MTA Video Release: Queens-Midtown Tunnel 10/29/2012 by mtainfo on YouTube

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