Travel chaos caused by tri-state area earthquake: Flights grounded, Holland Tunnel traffic halted

There was chaos on the ground and in the air in the New York metro area Friday morning as the Holland Tunnel was temporarily closed for inspection and New York-area flights were grounded after a 4.8-magnitude earthquake.

Traffic in and out of the crucial New York City tunnel was halted for inspection shortly after the quake, which struck New Jersey around 10:23 a.m. and was felt from Boston to Delaware.

The tunnel reopened around 11:15 but was still experiencing delays due to volume an hour later, officials shared on X.

Follow The Post’s coverage on the NYC and tri-state earthquake

Flights out of LaGuardia and Newark airports were also temporarily grounded, resulting in delays of up to 45 minutes, according to the New York Times.

A ground stop at JFK Airport was lifted shortly before 11:40, but Newark’s was extended through 12:30 p.m., CNN aviation correspondent Pete Muntean wrote on X.

New York’s MTA services were all operating “safely and normally” after the quake, Muntean wrote.

“Our structural teams out there our teams, surveying our bridges, our roads, any areas that there could be a fault line that is not easily detectable to make sure that passengers on our rails as well as our commuters are safe” Hochul noted during a press conference.

Residents were urged to remain vigilant due to the possibility of aftershocks.