Roads near Jacques-Cartier Bridge closed after serious water pipe burst
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A large water main burst near the Jacques-Cartier Bridge on Friday morning, flooding surrounding streets. Authorities advised commuters not to use the bridge to get to Montreal and to avoid the area.
“A lot of water has accumulated in the area,” said Jean-Pierre Brabant, spokesman for the Montreal police.
The eruption occurred just before 6 a.m. at Ste-Catherine St. and de Lorimier Ave., the Montreal Fire Department said. The geyser of water shot into the air and flooded parts of René-Lévesque Blvd. and Papineau St.
Videos broadcast by TVA and Radio-Canada show a huge jet of water being thrown into the air and flooding certain sections of René-Lévesque, Notre-Dame, Viger, Ste-Catherine and Papineau.
In an interview with RDI, Montreal city spokesman Philippe Sabourin said about 100 homes were flooded.
The safety of the people in the neighborhood is the top priority, he said.
Sabourin urged people not to go to the area, adding that city teams would need to determine the exact location of the rupture before they could close the valves, adding that the process would have to be done gradually and could take half a day.
In a post on X, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said: “All teams are mobilized on site to determine the cause, close the valves and plan repairs.”
She promised that updates would be provided later in the day.
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