Main Break Shuts 7th Ave, Leaves 400 Without Water In Chelsea

CHELSEA, NY — A portion of 7th Avenue in Chelsea was shut down again Wednesday morning as police dealt with the aftermath of a water main that broke Tuesday afternoon, leaving more than 400 households without water overnight.

All lanes of the avenue were closed down between 34th and 27th Street around 6:27 a.m. due to "heavy gridlock" in the area, an NYPD spokesperson said. The street had previously been reopened after a water main break near 26th Street the day before, but the conditions caused police to close it down again, the spokesperson said.

There were not immediate details about when it would reopen or why there was still gridlock on the street.

Both east and west traffic would be rerouted onto West 34th Street, the spokesperson said.

Some 420 households and 12 businesses were without water after the main break, according to a spokeswoman for the Department of Environmental Protection, the agency that manages the city's water tunnels.

About 9:50 a.m., water was restored to the residents and businesses, and crews continued to work on repairs on a 20-inch main and restore the roadway, the spokeswoman said.

A Starbucks on Seventh Ave. between 27th and 28th Sts. closed until about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.

Photo: Lauren Ramsby/Patch

The water main first broke just before 3 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon. It originally closed down a block between 25th and 26th Street.

The break caused flooding both on the avenue and in the 23rd Street subway station underneath.

Riders were evacuated from some 1 trains, which became express and skipped the flooded station for about an hour after the water main break. Service resumed by about 4 p.m., according to the MTA.

Sydney Pereira contributed to this report.