A water main break at the Bedford Avenue L train station snarled early-morning commutes Wednesday as the MTA suspended service between Brooklyn and Manhattan.
The water main break happened at street-level in Williamsburg around 5 a.m., according to the Department of Environmental Protection.
"DEP crews responded (vicinity of Bedford and North 7th) and shut off water to the area to stop the leak. They are excavating the roadway now to determine the cause of the leak and what repairs will be necessary," said DEP spokesperson Edward Timbers in an email.
News reports from the scene show the DEP and MTA crews at the intersection of Driggs and North 7th Street in Williamsburg examining the torn pavement:
During the break, the L train ran in two sections -- Manhattan between the 8th Avenue and Union Square stations, and Brooklyn between Myrtle Avenue and Rockaway Parkway stations. The MTA said it ran shuttle buses from 3rd and First avenues during the service interruption. Passengers were also urged to take the J/M/Z trains instead of the L line.
By around 7:15 a.m. the L train had resumed full service with delays, according to the MTA. The L carries about 250,000 riders between Manhattan and Brooklyn on an average weekday.
The DEP said despite recent water main breaks that swamped roads and disrupted commutes, the city is actually logging 15 percent fewer water main breaks this year than at this point last year.
"The drinking water sector (American Water Works Association) has set a goal of 15 water main breaks for every 100 miles of water main. The national average for large cities is 25 breaks for every 100 miles of water main. In NYC we are at 6 breaks for every 100 miles of water main," Timber said. "NYC far outperforms other large U.S. cities because we are constantly investing in upgrades to our system. We spend about $400 million annually to build new water mains – that’s about 1 mile of new water mains going into the ground every week of the year."
