Montreal officials have shut down Papineau Avenue between Ste-Catherine Street and René-Lévesque Boulevard after a water main rupture occurred Thursday morning. The closure persists indefinitely as repair crews address the issue.
Police direct traffic at the scene and advise motorists to bypass the area entirely to ease congestion.
Disrupted Access to Jacques Cartier Bridge
The water main failure worsens challenges reaching the Jacques Cartier Bridge, which spans from Montreal to the South Shore. Ongoing renovations have already closed a segment of De Lorimier Avenue, forcing drivers to detour via Frontenac and Atateken streets, stated Jean-Pierre Brabant, spokesperson for the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM).
City of Montreal work teams labor to contain and fix the break swiftly.
No updates are available yet on when the avenue will reopen or what triggered the incident.
Recent Similar Infrastructure Failure
Just last August 2024, a major water main burst one block away unleashed a geyser that flooded dozens of homes, prompting scrutiny of the city’s outdated pipes. Officials subsequently installed a new six-meter pipe section.
