City officials are blaming the extreme cold for a water main break that turned part of the Plateau into a slushy mess Saturday morning.
The 16-inch pipe burst at around 6:15 a.m. Saturday, sending a torrent of water into the street at the intersection of St. Joseph Blvd. and St. Denis St.
The stream ran downhill, leaving behind a trail of ice on sidestreets and freezing around car tires.
Crews arrived on scene shortly after the pipe burst and shut off the valve to the water main.
City officials said water was not shut off to residents and businesses.
The pipe, which is 60 years old, had not been identified as a problem before, according to the city.
Montreal police closed off the surrounding area to traffic for the morning, but reopened the roads by 12:30 p.m.
However, St. Joseph Blvd. between St. Denis St and Drolet St. remains closed while crews repair the damage.
The city expects the street to be reopened sometime Saturday.
According to Chantal Rouleau, who is responsible for water infrastructure on the executive committee of Montreal, there are 1,000 similar incidents every year.
The city has invested more than $1 billion over the past 10 years on pipes, sewers and water mains, she said.
Rouleau says it will take an annual investment of at least $100 million to replace and maintain the city’s aging water infrastructure.
