A geyser emerging from Saint-Joseph Boulevard was seen near Boyer Street, around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, in Montreal.
The water was propelled about five feet high, pooled on Saint-Joseph Boulevard, and surged along Boyer Street to Gilford Street.
The overflow was brought under control around 12:30 p.m., but several streets are still closed in the area.
Until further notice, boulevard Saint-Joseph is closed between rue Berri and avenue Christophe-Colomb. “We will try to reopen the west direction as soon as possible, but the [tronçon du] boulevard will be closed eastbound for the day, and probably for a few days, ”says the spokesperson for the City of Montreal, Philippe Sabourin. Rue Boyer is also closed between boulevard Saint-Joseph and rue Marie-Anne and rue De Mentana is closed off at rue Gilford.
It is therefore recommended to avoid the area and take a path other than Boulevard Saint-Joseph.
The break affected a transmission pipe with a diameter of 16 inches, or about the size of a car steering wheel. The exact cause is not yet known, but the age of the pipes remains the main hypothesis. “The aqueduct network is a hundred years old here,” says Denis Gagnon, aqueduct-sewer foreman for the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough.
At least this break does not affect the supply of drinking water in the area, and only one house suffered a flood.
In the next few days, the City will have to repair the pipe and assess the cause of the damage.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
The broken pipe occurred on boulevard Saint-Joseph at the level of rue Boyer.
The spokesperson for the City of Montreal points out that “if we have orange cones everywhere, it is precisely to do the work necessary to avoid emergency situations like this. He recalls that in 2023, the City of Montreal invested $763.4 million in water infrastructure.