Joseph J. Lhota, the chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, called Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg on Friday to apologize after being quoted questioning the mayor's information about subway restorations and saying the mayor had spoken “like an idiot†this week about when the Queens-Midtown Tunnel would reopen, a spokesman for the mayor said.
In an article in The Times on Friday, Mr. Lhota said he had no idea who was briefing Mr. Bloomberg when he estimated, on the day after Hurricane Sandy's arrival, that subway service would be out for “a good four or five days.â€
“It obviously wasn't true, either,†Mr. Lhota said. (Partial service returned two days after the mayor's statement; after two more days, some lines returned to full service.)
In a phone call with Howard B. Glaser, the director of state operations for Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, on Thursday morning, Mr. Lhota went on to say that Mr. Bloomberg was “ making it up†when he estimated the Queens-Midtown Tunnel would reopen over the weekend.
“It's wrong,†Mr. Lhota said, amid a brief fit of profanity, with a reporter sitting near him. “It's just wrong.â€
The tunnel reopened this morning to all vehicles except trucks.
A spokeswoman for Mr. Bloomberg has said that Mr. Lhota and Deputy Mayor Caswell F. Holloway corresponded frequently about restoration efforts after the storm, but noted that a briefing for the mayor on the day after the storm, held before the news conference in question, had focused on more immediate city concerns and included little about transportation.
Mr. Lhota was appointed by Mr. Cuomo last year.
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