>> REALLY IMPORTANT AND REALLY IMPORTANT STUFF OF GETTING INTO THE NITTY GRITTY OF IT. >> WELL, WE WANT TO TURN NOW TO THAT BREAKING NEWS INVOLVING THE EVENING COMMUTE. THE QUEENS MIDTOWN TUNNEL NOW PARTIALLY REOPENED AND THIS AFTER CLOSED FROM FLOODING INSIDE OF THE TUNNEL. >> ONE TUBE OPENED, TAKING TWO WAY TRAFFIC WITH IT EACH WAY. CREWS NOW TRYING TO REOPEN THE OTHER SIDE. IT HAS BEEN A MESS. THE DAMAGE IS ALREADY DONE IN. TONIGHT'S COMMUTE, AS WE SAY, IS JUST CHAOS. EYEWITNESS NEWS REPORTER JOE TORRES LIVE IN MIDTOWN. WITH WHAT? MORE ON THE CHAOS AND WHAT CAUSED IT ALL. JOE, A LOT OF PEOPLE ASKING, HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? >> WELL, A LOT OF PEOPLE SCRATCHING THEIR HEADS. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE? BUT YES, YOU SAID IT, BILL. AN ABSOLUTE MESS HERE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE TUNNEL. WE HAVE MADE A LITTLE BIT OF PROGRESS SINCE OUR LAST REPORT AT 4:00. ONE OF THE TUBES NOW OPEN IN BOTH DIRECTIONS. TRAFFIC MOVING EAST AND WEST AFTER WHAT REALLY WAS A RATHER EGREGIOUS DRILLING ERROR THAT RESULTED IN A DRILL BIT GOING THROUGH THE ROOF OF THE TUNNEL AND WATER FROM THE EAST RIVER CASCADING INTO THE TUNNEL AND YES, THAT IS WHAT PROMPTED AUTHORITIES TO CLOSE THE TUNNEL IN BOTH DIRECTIONS. ALL OF THIS UNFOLDING RIGHT AROUND 1230 THIS AFTERNOON. TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THE PICTURES, BECAUSE YOU CAN IMAGINE, AS WE HEADED INTO THE EVENING RUSH, THE HORRORS THAT THAT CREATED FOR COMMUTERS, THE RESULTING DELAYS THAT SNARLED TRAFFIC ON BOTH SIDES OF THE TUNNEL, WE CAUGHT UP WITH SOME FRUSTRATED DRIVERS IN MANHATTAN WHO WERE SUDDENLY FORCED TO USE THE 59TH STREET BRIDGE TO HEAD EAST TO QUEENS, OR PERHAPS FURTHER EAST TO LONG ISLAND. ABOUT 45 MINUTES AGO, THE MAYOR WAS HERE. THE OEM COMMISSIONER, ALONG WITH MTA OFFICIALS. THEY UPDATED US JUST MOMENTS AGO ON WHAT SPECIFICALLY CREATED A 2.5IN HOLE IN THE ROOF OF THE TUNNEL. >> SAID IT WAS A 2.5IN HOLE. IT WAS IN THE DUCT, ONE OF THE AIR DUCTS THAT'S COMING OUT OF THE TUNNEL. AND THAT'S WHAT ALLOWED THE WATER TO GET IN. IT'S ABOUT 2.5IN IN DIAMETER, AND WE DO HAVE CONTRACTORS IN THERE WHO HAVE DONE AN ENGINEERING ASSESSMENT OR IN THE PROCESS OF WORKING TO PLUG THAT HOLE. WE ARE REVIEWING THIS MATTER INTENSIVELY RIGHT NOW. >> OUR FIRST FOCUS IS ON REPAIR AND RESTORATION. WE ARE INVESTIGATING EVERY ASPECT, EVERY ELEMENT OF HOW WE GOT HERE IN THIS MOMENT. AND WE'LL HAVE MORE INFORMATION AS WE HAVE MORE INFORMATION THAT WE'RE CONFIDENT IN RIGHT NOW. >> BILL. IN SHORT, THIS WAS, WE ARE TOLD, AN INVESTIGATIVE DRILLING. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? THIS WAS ALL HAPPENING AHEAD OF WHAT ULTIMATELY WOULD BECOME THE EAST RIVER WATERFRONT ESPLANADE. SO THE DRILLING WAS LOOKING INTO MAKING THAT HAPPEN. THE CONTRACTOR WENT 100FT DOWN BEFORE HE DRILLED THAT 2.5IN HOLE INTO THE ROOF OF THE EAST RIVER. IT HAS SINCE BEEN PLUGGE. THAT'S THE GOOD NEWS. BUT IT'S ONLY AN INTERIM REPAIR. A MORE PERMANENT REPAIR WILL HAPPEN SOON. WHEN WE ASKED WHEN ASAP WAS THE CLEAREST ANSWER, WE GOT ON THAT. FINALLY, SOME ADVICE FOR ANYONE HEADING EAST TO THE US OPEN IN LIGHT OF WHAT HAPPENED HERE TODAY, YOU ARE ADVISED TO TAKE MASS TRANSIT. DO NOT TAKE YOUR CAR OUT EAST. AND LASTLY, FOR ANY EAST SIDE BUS CUSTOMERS, YOU'RE STRONGLY ADVISED TO NOW CHECK OUT THE SUBWAY.