A burst water pipe forces the city of Montreal to take urgent action on Saint-Antoine Street, very close to the Palais des Congrès. The event, detected late Sunday afternoon, is not related to heavy rainfall, but forces the closure of two lanes on the main artery until further notice.
Posted at 12:14 p.m
“Late Sunday afternoon, around 3 p.m., we noticed a leak under the pavement. “We have to close the aqueduct and then carry out excavation for repairs as quickly as possible,” said the municipality's administration spokesman, Philippe Sabourin, on Monday.
Around ten buildings are therefore likely to lose their water supply for several hours. The leak from a pipe about 12 inches long apparently caused a hole in the roadway on Saint-Antoine Street between Saint-Laurent Boulevard and Saint-Urbain Street, La Presse noted.
Road repair work was also expected to begin by Tuesday and could take a few days.
PRESS PHOTO
This new water main took place in a particularly run-down area of downtown. The Hole is directly across from the old Steeve's Music Store.
We do not yet know the exact cause of this event, but since it initially occurred on Sunday afternoon, when the rain had not yet arrived in the metropolis, the damage cannot be attributed to an overload of the city's water supply systems. Investigations carried out in the coming days will provide further information about the exact circumstances of the case.
“When there is a foundation failure, it can sometimes happen that the embankment stone, i.e. the foundation of the road, is washed out in some way or washed out by water. This then leads to a slight lowering of the road. However, it is rather unusual,” explains Mr. Sabourin on the subject.
As a preventive measure, two lanes on the north side of Saint-Antoine Street were immediately closed. Until the situation is under control, only one lane heading east will be maintained.
A run-down area
This new water main took place in a particularly run-down area of downtown. The Hole is directly across from the old Steeve's Music Store.
Since the building had been abandoned for years, its facade had to be reinforced with impressive scaffolding to prevent collapse. This has been the case for three years now.
On the road next to the hole, the city has to resurface the road several times a year. In fact, the rails of the tram, which was closed 70 years ago, regularly pierce the road and leave impressive potholes. In addition to these infrastructure problems, a homeless camp has emerged near La Presse Park. There are several half-collapsed tents everywhere.
Although unrelated, this event occurs as heavy rain falls in Quebec on Monday. A 20-year-old record has already been broken in Montreal, at a time when hopes of a white Christmas seem weaker than ever.
With Pierre-André Normandin, La Presse