CONTINUE TO FOLLOW BREAKING NEWS AT THE QUEENS MIDTOWN TUNNEL. IT HAS JUST REOPENED IN BOTH TUBES IN BOTH DIRECTIONS AFTER A CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENT EARLIER TODAY. BUT THE TRAFFIC NIGHTMARE CONTINUES. AND GOOD EVENING TO YOU. AT 6:00, I'M LIZ CHO AND I'M BILL RITTER. >> IT ALL STARTED WITH A CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENT AND JUST LIKE THAT, WATER FROM THE EAST RIVER STARTED FLOODING THE QUEENS MIDTOWN TUNNEL. AND WHAT A MESS. THE NORTH AND SOUTH BOUND TUNNELS EARLIER WERE CLOSED, BUT THEY ARE NOW BACK OPEN. >> BUT WHAT A MESS IT HAS BEEN IN QUEENS ON THE L.I.E AS WELL AS ON THE UPPER EAST SIDE. THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE RIGHT NOW FROM NEWS COPTER SEVEN. YOU CAN SEE THAT TRAFFIC CRAWLING. EYEWITNESS NEWS REPORTER JOE TORRES IS ON THE GROUND FOR US WITH THE LATEST JOE AND LIZ. >> THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE FROM OUR CAMERAS HERE ON THE GROUND ON THE MANHATTAN SIDE OF THE QUEENS MIDTOWN TUNNEL. YOU MENTIONED IT RIGHT AT THE TOP. TAKE A LOOK. MORE PROGRESS. TRAFFIC FLOWING ONCE AGAIN IN BOTH DIRECTIONS AND THROUGH BOTH TUBES OF THE QUEEN MIDTOWN TUNNEL. AND ALL OF THAT MADE POSSIBLE THANKS TO THE VERY QUICK WORK OF THE TRANSIT CREWS AND WORKERS WHO PLUGGED AND PATCHED A HOLE IN THE ROOF OF THE SOUTH TUBE. ALL OF THIS GOT UNDERWAY RIGHT AROUND 1230 THIS AFTERNOON. THAT'S WHEN THE WATER FROM THE EAST RIVER STARTED TO POUR INTO THE TUNNEL. WE'LL EXPLAIN WHY IN JUST A MOMENT, BUT THAT FORCED AUTHORITIES TO CLOSE THE TUNNEL. AND YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? IT SNARLED TRAFFIC IN MANHATTAN AND QUEENS AS WELL. SO WHAT HAPPENED? WELL, IT WAS A CONTRACTOR DOING WHAT'S CALLED INVESTIGATIVE DRILLING AHEAD OF AND ASSOCIATED WITH THE EAST RIVER WATERFRONT ESPLANADE. THAT CONTRACTOR SIMPLY WENT TOO DEEP AND MADE A 2.5IN HOLE IN THE ROOF OF THE TUNNEL. >> WAS DOING WORK IN THE EAST RIVER AND ACCIDENTALLY PERFORATED A SMALL AMOUNT IN THE OUTSIDE EDGE OF THE QUEENS MIDTOWN TUNNEL. >> AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THEY DRILLED 100FT FROM THE SURFACE OF THE WATER ABOUT 50FT THROUGH WATER, AND THEN ANOTHER 53 50FT THROUGH SOIL, THEN TO THE TUNNE. >> AND THIS HERE IS VIDEO FROM INSIDE OF THE TUNNEL. WE CAN TELL YOU, OF COURSE, A TEMPORARY FIX IS NOW IN. HOWEVER A PERMANENT FIX WILL COME. WE GOT NO WORD AS TO HOW LONG THAT WILL TAKE. BUT WHAT'S ALSO HAPPENING NEXT? AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE CONTRACTOR, THE SAFETY PROTOCOLS, THE DRILLING PRACTICES, ALL TO MAKE SURE THAT WHAT HAPPENED HERE TODAY NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN. ALL RIGHT. LET'S LOOK AT THE IMPACT ON TRAFFIC. SHANNON SOHN HAS THAT FROM NEWSCOPTER SEVEN. SHANNON >> YEAH. JOE. AFTER 4.5 HOURS OF IRREGULARITIES HERE AT THE QUEENS-MIDTOWN TUNNEL, THE DAMAGE IS DONE. >> BUT LET'S SHOW YOU THE GOOD NEWS. THESE ARE THE ENTRANCES. ALL OF THE TUNNEL APPROACH STREETS TO THE QUEENS MIDTOWN TUNNEL. AND WE HAVE BEEN WATCHING CARS GO THROUGH ALL OF THEM. SO THAT IS YOUR POSITIVE. HERE COMES THE NEGATIVE. IF YOU'RE ON SECOND AVENUE RIGHT HERE, YOU CAN SEE ALL OF THAT TRAFFIC THAT IS STILL TRYING TO FUNNEL IN TO THE TUNNEL. AND OF COURSE, THIRD AVENUE. WE'RE GOING TO TAKE YOU FOR A RIDE DOWN IT BECAUSE IT IS A MESS. AND AS YOU CONTINUE ALONG THIRD AVENUE, YOU SEE THE DELAYS START IN THE 30S AND THEY TAKE YOU RIGHT ON UP TO THE 59TH STREET BRIDGE ENTRANCE, WHICH IS THE OBVIOUS ALTERNATE TO GET AROUND THIS AREA. SO THAT IS A NIGHTMARE. THE ONE THING THAT IS NOT NORMAL YET, DESPITE THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE NOW REOPENED THE SOUTH TUBE, SO YOUR OUTBOUND TRAFFIC CAN ACTUALLY MOVE IN THE OUTBOUND DIRECTION. IF YOU ARE ALREADY ON THE L.I.E. THESE DELAYS HAVE CONSISTENTLY GONE BACK TO THE BQE ALL NIGHT, AND WHILE IT IS ABOUT TO GET BETTER, YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THEY'VE BEEN SHARING THAT NORTH TUBE WITH THE QUEENS BOUND TRAFFIC FOR MOST OF THE AFTERNOON. THEY ARE STILL REOPENING ALL OF THOSE LANES FOR THE TRAFFIC HEADING INTO MANHATTAN. SO THIS IS GOING TO TAKE A LITTLE BIT LONGER. THE DAMAGE DONE FOR THIS EVENING COMMUTE, BUT AT LEAST THINGS WILL DEFINITELY BE BETTER FOR TOMORROW. >> REPORTING LIVE OVER THE QUEENS-MIDTOWN TUNNEL, SHANN