The fear of everyone who has ever traveled through the Lincoln Tunnel seemingly came true on July 14. As drivers sat bumper-to-bumper in the tunnel – which runs under the Hudson River to connect Manhattan to Weehawken, New Jersey — they were horrified as water suddenly started gushing in. “Well, that’s concerning,” said driver Anthony Consiglio, who posted the footage to his Instagram Story. “I’m inside the Lincoln Tunnel, which is underwater. I’m pretty sure there’s a movie about this, and everybody dies.”
Who has “Lincoln Tunnel leak” on their 2020 Bingo card? pic.twitter.com/381QfE29zC
— InMinivanHell (@inminivanhell) July 15, 2020
Thankfully, no one died. The Port Authority, who is responsible for maintaining the Lincoln Tunnel, tweeted that the tunnel’s “left lane [will be] closed for approximately 30 minutes due to emergency maintenance.” Shortly after that, the agency tweeted that the “previous altert…is no longer in effect,” and that the tunnel was experiencing delays due to “emergency maintenance.” Port Authority, in a statement to HollywoodLife, said that it wasn’t the Hudson River flooding into the tunnel, but “a rupture of a water main in a facility room in the Center Tube.”
The water main was “fixed and the water was pumped out as designed,” the statement added. The mile-and-a-half-long tunnel is more than 80 years old, and it accommodates about an average of 1.5 million vehicles into New York per month, according to NBC New York. One of those commuters gave the thumbs up when they made the trip two days later on July 16. “I just drove through the Lincoln Tunnel about an hour ago with no problem. Haven’t heard anything about a leak all morning.”
The Lincoln Tunnel Center Tube to NJ is experiencing delays due to emergency maintenance. [16]
— Lincoln Tunnel. Wear a Face Covering. (@PANYNJ_LT) July 14, 2020
As a US resident (In NJ) I think I'm pretty fatigued from 2020. This is just piling on at this point. Imagine if that tunnel collapsed? Imagine the loss of life? Imagine the traffic at the Holland and the GWB… ugh
— ChaseJ (@ChaseJ70357997) July 16, 2020
“Flooding in the Lincoln Tunnel” is, no joke, one of the biggest fears of anyone in the New York City/New Jersey area. It’s right alongside “Aggressive cockroach in the bathtub,” “Subway car being used as a bathroom,” and “Favorite brunch spot in Ridgewood being completely full on Sunday.” As the footage of the leak went viral, local commuters vented their shared fear and shock.
“I’m not exaggerating when I say this is one of my worst fears. For those that don’t know, the Lincoln tunnel goes underground between NJ & NYC. It’s one lane each way & very claustrophobic, especially during traffic. THIS? I would abandon my car and run the f-ck out.” “I’ve always had a bit of a fear & claustrophobia in underwater tunnels. This being 2020, my fears seem to have been justified.” “The Lincoln tunnel flooding is one of my top 5 nightmare scenarios. 2020 needs to calm down.”