Gaping hole on Lower East Side following water main break

LOWER EAST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) -- There is a gaping hole in the middle of the street near Madison and Rutgers streets on the Lower East Side.

Crews have been there for hours making repairs to a 12-inch water main.

So far, temporary repairs are now done and water service and been restored to all customers.

That is certainly welcome news to buildings and businesses in the area, where about 150 customers and 10 businesses were without water at the height of the incident.

One point does need to be stressed here: this is not a sinkhole. This is actually a hole dug by crews to make the needed repairs.

Several agencies have been on the scene, including DEP, Con Edison, FDNY and the NYPD to redirect traffic.

Con Ed had work to do at the scene as well to prevent gas flow to the area, but there were no service disruptions as far as that agency is concerned.

Repair work remains ongoing and is expected to continue into Thursday morning.