5 November 2008
Falling Concrete Shuts Notre Dame St. E.
Montreal Quebec - A two-metre chunk of
concrete that may have been eroded by weekend flooding caused by a broken water main shut down one of the busiest stretches of road in
the city yesterday, just in time for the afternoon rush hour.
The debris fell from a Canadian Pacific Railway overpass that spans Notre Dame St. E. between Frontenac and Alphonse D. Roy Sts. and
punched a hole through the road surface below. Police blocked off the road at 1 p.m.
"On the weekend there was a broken water main and apparently it undermined the road surface and a huge block of asphalt or
concrete fell, (creating) a hole about 20 feet deep," CP spokesperson Michel Spenard said.
"There's nothing wrong with the bridge itself, and trains will still serve the Port of Montreal."
The roads of Montreal, however, were a different matter. Police closed Notre Dame St. between Frontenac and Alphonse D. Roy Sts. in
both directions. That backed eastbound traffic into the Ville Marie Tunnel and caused its Berri St. exit to be closed.
The same stretch of road was shut Saturday after a water main burst. Police say Notre Dame will be closed while city inspectors
examine the roadbed.
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