Water main break causes Upper West Side mess

A major water-main break Sunday turned some Upper West Side streets into rivers for the second time in less than a week — infuriating MTA bosses as it yet again sparked hourslong delays on the subways.

The break occurred just before 8 a.m. and left the area between 102nd and 103rd streets near Central Park West quickly flooded, videos from the scene show. The NYPD urged drivers to avoid the area, with both lanes on Central Park West closed.

So much water flooded the train tracks below ground that the A, C and D lines were halted for hours between 125th Street and 59th Street-Columbus Circle.

The trains started running again at around 12:30 p.m. — more than four hours after the flooding — with one worker excitedly calling out to passers-by, “They’re back and running!”

Delays were still expected as the lines got back up to speed, the MTA warned on Twitter.

NYC Transit Senior Vice President Sally Librera said the system had to be shut down because “the level of water rose above the third rail, making conditions dangerous to operate trains.”

She made it clear just how frustrated she was that straphangers were once again infuriated by issues out of the service’s control.

“This is the second time this week our customers have been denied service for too lengthy a period because of a major city water main break that flooded our system,” Libera said in a statement.

“We hope this latest incident will spur quicker shut-off response times by the city and a review of its aging system in hopes of avoiding similar situations moving forward.”

Signal equipment, a power substation and all third-rail cables were being inspected, the subway service said on Twitter.

The MTA also replied to complaints by stressing that the issue was “unfortunately not in our control.

“Saftey is our top priority and we’re doing our best to provide as much service as possible on parts of the line that aren’t affected,” the service said.

Roads in the flood area were still churned up early Sunday afternoon as crews continued to work at the now-dry area, with 103rd and 102nd St on Central Park West blocked off by NYC Transit and DEP vehicles.

“They’re still working on this sh—t?” one passer-by complained of the hourslong problems.

A Department of Environmental Protection worker on the scene explained, “The valve broke, so we’ve got to cover it up, and then we’ll fill the hole.”

Mayor Bill de Blasio warned people to “avoid the immediate area while crews do their work.”

Some homes in the immediate area were also without water during the ongoing work, residents said.

“I filled up my tub with water, so I’m OK for now,” said Mike Gibson, 61, a tenant of 418 W. 102 St., where the water was temporarily shut off. “S–t happens. People like to overreact.”

Daniel Catanach, a nearby resident and ballet teacher, said he was “lucky,” adding, “Our super came and knocked on everyone’s door saying, ‘Take a shower now, or you might not be able to for a while!’ ”

Many others said they were surprised their water was still running.

Frank Fellone, 37, said he “had to cancel some plans” when his water went off.

“We were going to have people over … but we said our toilet wasn’t working, [so] they might not want to come over,” he said, adding, “I’m gonna call them, now [it] looks like the water’s back.”

Others sympathized with the workers having to do the dirty work.

“I had a leak in my bathroom a couple of weeks ago, and that was nasty. Imagine having to deal with this,” said local resident Pat Cola.

“I was just saying, ‘What could possibly be the worst job to do?’ Maybe it’s this,” she said.