Multiple roads in and around the Jacques Cartier Bridge are closed after a massive water main break in Montreal’s Ville-Marie borough sent water spewing several metres into the air, flooding streets and basements.
Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante told reporters Friday morning that it would likely take hours to repair the pipe, which she described as “enormous” at around a metre wide.
The water main broke around 6 a.m. near the construction site of the Esplanade Cartier Condo towers on the corner of De Lorimier Avenue and Ste. Catherine Street East, near Montreal’s Village neighbourhood. Water washed across Notre-Dame Street to the south, and Ste. Catherine Street to the north, and as far west as Papineau.
The pipeline supplies water to the city’s east end. Plante says there is no boil-water advisory in place for the moment. Drinking water has been redirected through the city’s network. The cause of the water main break is currently unknown.
“Firefighters are going door-to-door, and they have ordered some to evacuate” their homes and workplaces,” said Plante. “The Red Cross is here to help people who need to relocate.”
A large water spout is seen in Montreal after a massive water main break flooded streets.
Chantal Morrisette, who’s responsible for the city’s water services, says the pipe was transporting drinking water only, and that the water on the street does not pose a danger to residents.
It does, however, pose a risk to buildings. Residents will not be able to return home until firefighters assess any damage that could compromise the structural integrity of residences.
“It’s not only people who live in basements. It’s people in buildings,” said Plante, referring to apartment buildings in the area. Electricity has also been cut to some 13,500 Hydro-Quebec cutomers in the area.
When will the water stop flowing?
While the amount of water has decreased substantially in the hours since the break, Morrisette says the city has four valves that need to be shut before the water stops completely.
Each one of those valves require about two hours of work to close.
A massive water main break sent water billowing into the streets near the Jacques Cartier Bridge on Aug. 16, 2024. (Daniel J. Rowe, CTV News)
“We have to take that time to plan accordingly,” she told reporters. “The last thing we want is to manipulate the valve and break it.”
Drivers heading east through the Ville-Marie tunnel on Route 136 will have to leave at the Saint-Laurent Boulevard exit, and De Lorimier Avenue, Rene-Levesque Boulevard, Notre-Dame Street and Papineau Avenue all have closures due to flooding.
Montreal police and firefighters are on scene to direct traffic. People are asked to avoid the area until the survey is complete, which could take “all day,” said Plante.
Some offices, including CTV News Montreal, have instructed workers to stay home.
– With files from The Canadian Press.