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Intersection on 14 Street and First Avenue Reopens After Water Main Burst

After a water main rupture on E. 14 Street and First Avenue took place on August 3, the temporarily closed-off intersection is finally open as of August 9.

East Village /
| 08 Aug 2026 | 02:38
    Steam was still billowing from mid-block on Aug. 3 after a water main break at the intersection of First Ave. and East 14th Street earlier that afternoon. Traffic would remain snarled for days as the intersection could remain closed.
    Steam was still billowing from mid-block on Aug. 3 after a water main break at the intersection of First Ave. and East 14th Street earlier that afternoon. Traffic would remain snarled for days as the intersection could remain closed. ( Photo: Keith J. Kelly)
    City workers were still laboring into the evening on Aug. 7 trying to repair the roadway at the intersection of East 14th Street and First Avenue.
    City workers were still laboring into the evening on Aug. 7 trying to repair the roadway at the intersection of East 14th Street and First Avenue. ( Photo: Keith J. Kelly)
    Construction and Con Edison workers were at the scene excavating the roadway two days after the Aug. 3 water main break.
    Construction and Con Edison workers were at the scene excavating the roadway two days after the Aug. 3 water main break. ( Photo: Martina Dimitrova)
    NYPD and NYC Transit officials stood by the enclosed entrance to First Avenue on 14 Street, redirecting vehicles away from the zone.
    NYPD and NYC Transit officials stood by the enclosed entrance to First Avenue on 14 Street, redirecting vehicles away from the zone. ( Photo: Martina Dimitrova)
    Traffic is being stopped and redirected westbound on East 13th Street towards Second Avenue. Outside the intersection closure, there was honking and congested movement of vehicles.
    Traffic is being stopped and redirected westbound on East 13th Street towards Second Avenue. Outside the intersection closure, there was honking and congested movement of vehicles. ( Photo: Martina Dimitrova)

After days of disrupting traffic and residents, the intersection on E. 14 Street and First Avenue is finally open, after repairs were made to the water main that burst and the affected block.

The water main ruptured on the afternoon of August 3 on the northern edge of the East Village. There was flooding on the intersection at E. 14 Street and First Avenue, sending water into nearby basements.

On Monday, August 3, the city turned off tap water and continued to pump water out. The Department of Environmental Protection set up a “Water on the Go” station on 14 Street between First Ave and Avenue A for affected residents and businesses on the intersection.

Marty Fatooh, Manhattan Borough Commissioner for the NYC Department of Environmental Protection, issued a temporary shutdown to the city water main for an investigation of the leak.

A DEP spokesperson shared the following update with Our Town Downtown as of August 5: “DEP crews are responding and repairs are ongoing. Water has been restored to affected consumers.”

The intersection remained closed off until August 9, including a perimeter closure of one block in all directions. Bikers were able to ride north through the intersection.

As of August 4 evening, some residents had reported increased traffic in the area.

Subway services were not affected, as no water leaked onto the tracks, though traffic and nearby bus lines were rerouted. NYC Transit workers were stationed at the M14-D and M14-A bus stop on 1st Avenue, redirecting pedestrians to a stop on St. Marks Place and Second Avenue.

An employee at La Colombe, located on 14 Street between First Avenue and Avenue A, said the cafe’s basement was flooded initially, but has not experienced any problems with sink water. Reflecting on the decrease in traffic, she noted, “This affects us more than the water.” The business usually gets a lot of walk-ins who are driving through the area, and the employee described Wednesday, August 5, two days after the eruption, as “so slow.”

Oscar, an employee at Empanada Mama, which sits on the northwest corner of 14 Street and First Avenue, said the business had dark water most of the day August 4 but that it had cleared out after 6 p.m. As of August 5, he said the water had returned back to normal, with no interruptions or impurities.

Water to the nearby Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village complex was apparently not impacted nor were most of the addresses north of 14th Street.

Panda Express, located on the southwest corner, had not experienced any flooding or dirty water. An employee noted, “Just walking here is annoying.” A manager at La Fortuna on First Ave. near E. 16th Street said it had murky water for an hour or so on day one of the disaster but no problems on the water front since. The biggest problem is that the repair work was discouraging pedestrian traffic. The temporarily closed intersection caused heavy debris in the air and congestion in adjacent streets.

Old pipes and infrastructure contribute to frequent leaks and pipe bursts, with some mains reaching over 100 years. Earlier this year on January 26, a gushing leak on the same intersection lasted for hours, with crew working in freezing cold conditions to restore the affected area’s water.