Drivers rescued from cars after water main break floods Cross Bronx Expressway
MOUNT HOPE, Bronx (WABC) -- A major water main break in the Bronx flooded the Cross Bronx Expressway early Thursday, trapping drivers and causing a traffic and transit nightmare.
Eight people were rescued from their vehicles as water poured into the roadway just before 3:30 a.m.
The main broke on Jerome Avenue near East 175th Street, opening up a massive hole approximately 30 feet wide and closing the roadway in both directions.
Occupants of at least seven cars were trapped in their vehicles, and witnesses said the water was so high some of the cars were actually floating.
Other cars were stuck in rising waters on Jerome Avenue.
Luckily, there were no reports of injuries, but many businesses were flooded.
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One restaurant owner said he got a call at 4 a.m. and arrived to find his basement submerged with water.
He had food items, his office, and the boiler down there, and everything destroyed. He said he has insurance but is unclear if a flood is covered.
He says his restaurant was already takeout and delivery only due to the pandemic, and now he has no idea when he'll be able to reopen.
Crews with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection arrived on the scene and began working to shut off water in the area.
"They are also clearing catch basins to allow the water to drain from the Cross Bronx Expressway underpass," the DEP said in a statement.
Jerome Avenue was closed from Mount Hope to the Cross Bronx Expressway as the massive repair and cleanup operation got underway.
Subway service on the 4 train was suspended between 161st Street-Yankee Stadium and Woodlawn in both directions, as the MTA worked to address water entering from the street level at that station.
Service resumed after 7 a.m., with 4 trains bypassing 176th Street in both directions.
Commuters were advised to use the Burnside Avenue or Mount Eden Avenue stations as an alternative.
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