Daily News from New York, New York • 132

4 DAILY NEWS Saturday, October 19, 1991 ft, -JFi I- 1 til -v As pi I 4 jT7 -JlA- aT- SnJNTEREO PIPE sits amid debns on 42d St. in the aftermath of Thursday morning's water main break that flooded area and subway stations. DAILY NEWS yPCAMCNANa chaels, a Department of Environmental Protection spokesman. The remaining battle was being fought on 42d where workers continued to jackhammer away at the buckled pavement that succumbed to the ruptured main. Damage to the street was estimated at meanwhile, traffic backed up placed the ruptured 12-toot section of the 20-inch water main that turned the subways into an underground Venice.

Officials are still trying to determine the cause of the break. Street battle Water service lost buildings from E. 54th to E. 38th Sts. was restored by Thursday night, said Ian Mi around the disaster site as the thoroughfare remained closed between Park and Lexington Aves.

"Hopefully, by early next week we'll have the westbound section open," said Joseph DePIasco, a Department of Transportation spokesman. we have to reconstruct the southern part of that stretch, which might take Asaodl Ibireak for TA until the end of next week." No such timetable was necessary for Hardiman, the TA's resident disaster-master. Tunnel drained In Manhattan, six auxiliary pumps sucked up 4,000 gallons of water a minute. In Queens, a pump train consisting of a diesel car, a pump car and two cars carrying 9,000 feet of hose cleaned out the No. 7 tunnel under the East River.

"That was the hardest thing, getting the water in the Steinway tunnel under the East River," said Hardiman. "In the deepest part of the tunnel, the water was 7 feet deep. That's a tremendous amount of water." Once the water was drained, signal workers checked the drained and oiled equipment and blew out mud and sand. Lighting workers dried bulbs, took apart fixtures and checked electrical feeds; power distribution workers cleaned all wiring before turning on the electricity. Track workers cleaned out mutjl rand while hydraulics workers dealt, with fans a1 nd pumps.

Ow)y New Staff Writer The East Side subways looking cleaner than ever before were dry and running yesterday after 2 million gallons of water that flooded Grand Central Station and 42d St Thursday had been pumped Into the sewers. By 7:30 a.m. all subway service was restored. The No. 7 line to Flushing whose tracks at one point were under 7 feet of water was back In business, as were the Lexington Ave.

express and local. What was supposed to be a monumental cleanup effort turned into an overnight miracle. Hundreds of workers wearing raincoats and wading boots worked around the clock, pumping water into discharge lines that fed the sewers. In need of sleep "I've got to get some sleep," said Michael Hardiman, a general superintendent for the Transit Authority. "But we, got service back.

That's the main 4 Above ground, workers re yPtAHCHANtt Oairy News Staff Writer volved the installation of new lighting, floors, ceilings, two escalators, entrances and architectural graphics on the Lexington Ave. subway mezzanine. Hardiman said there may be long-term damage to the floor tiling caused by several inches of water, sand and mud that turned the station into a swamp. The sand placed liberally around the station to control the water could also eventually destroy any gear work in escalators, elevators or other machinery. "We're drying them out as best we can so we can flush out the sand," said Hardiman.

"That could play hell on our mechanical 1 equipment" The Grand Central subway station mezzanine recently renovated to the tune of $23 million suffered only cosmetic damage after Thursday's flood, giving the cash-poor Transit Authority a break. "There really was no structural damage to Grand Central. Some repairs are needed, but most are cosmetic," said Michael Hardiman, a TA general superintendent Damage was confined mostly to a ceiling that collapsed Thursday, resulting in an indoor waterfall, and an elevator that remains out of service. -i The renovation, which began in 1985, in Iftl Maxwell rHwiwin, Inc. Tke Dally News, New Vert's Picture Niwipeesr.

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