mr.x
August 25th, 2007, 08:01 AM
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Businesses closed, subway shut as fissures force Montreal to shut downtown
MONTREAL (CP) - A large section of downtown Montreal will remain closed for the weekend after two cracks were found in a tunnel that makes up part of the underground city.
Montreal police widened a safety perimeter Friday night to include several blocks in the city's downtown core after officials felt there was a real risk of a road collapse following the discovery of cracks in an underground tunnel.
Fire chief Serge Tremblay told reporters Friday night that a second fissure was also found, but experts haven't been able to conclude what caused the cracks or how long they had been there.
"It's early to say what are the real risks . . . Our role is to prepare for the worst and I won't say the worst will happen, but in this case, we need to make sure we are well prepared," Tremblay said.
Engineers continued to survey the damage after a crack was found inside an underground tunnel leading to a subway station and other malls from The Bay department store.
The affected area is in the heart of the city's downtown core that includes Montreal's Eaton Centre and hundreds of stores and restaurants. The police perimeter includes several city blocks in an area bordered by Sherbrooke, St. Catherine and Bleury Streets as well as University Avenue.
Montreal's underground city snakes through the downtown area, stretching for kilometres and linking dozens of buildings through an elaborate tunnel system.
Mayor Gerald Tremblay said the problem is in the one particular tunnel and not a widespread problem in the city's sprawling underground network. He urged people to stay away from the area for the weekend.
"The area is closed to pedestrians as well as businesses," Gerald Tremblay said. Traffic is also not permitted in the area, which spans several city blocks.
The part of the subway line which serves Montreal's downtown core will also remained closed indefinitely as the McGill station runs below the tunnel, Tremblay said.
"There are no problems to the structures of the metro system, but the metro will remain closed until further notice," Gerald Tremblay said.
Earlier, Mayor Tremblay visited the area and said there's no immediate danger to the public, but by Friday night, the city made the decision to block off the area.
"The security of Montrealers is our first priority," Mayor Tremblay added.
Police spokesman Robert Mansueto said several other buildings in the area were being emptied in an orderly fashion. No citizens are directly affected by the evacuation order, as the area includes mainly businesses and offices.
Meanwhile, engineers were taking a closer look at the two large fissures in the ceiling of a tunnel that makes up part of Montreal's sprawling underground city.
They are trying to determine whether the street that runs above it will need to be reinforced.
The tunnel runs east to west below de Maisonneuve Boulevard and city engineers were checking to see if there was any fear of the roadway collapsing.
No timetable has been set for how long it will take to evaluate the situation but engineers and fire officials would be working through out the weekend, Gerald Tremblay said.
Several hundred people were forced to leave The Bay on Friday afternoon and a major subway line was shut down as a precaution causing commuter and traffic hassles.
No injuries have been reported.
Employees at The Bay noticed water infiltrating the building's basement level.
Montreal fire department spokesman Aime Charette says when fire officials did an inspection they noticed water leaking from a damaged concrete slab in the ceiling of the tunnel.
Businesses closed, subway shut as fissures force Montreal to shut downtown
MONTREAL (CP) - A large section of downtown Montreal will remain closed for the weekend after two cracks were found in a tunnel that makes up part of the underground city.
Montreal police widened a safety perimeter Friday night to include several blocks in the city's downtown core after officials felt there was a real risk of a road collapse following the discovery of cracks in an underground tunnel.
Fire chief Serge Tremblay told reporters Friday night that a second fissure was also found, but experts haven't been able to conclude what caused the cracks or how long they had been there.
"It's early to say what are the real risks . . . Our role is to prepare for the worst and I won't say the worst will happen, but in this case, we need to make sure we are well prepared," Tremblay said.
Engineers continued to survey the damage after a crack was found inside an underground tunnel leading to a subway station and other malls from The Bay department store.
The affected area is in the heart of the city's downtown core that includes Montreal's Eaton Centre and hundreds of stores and restaurants. The police perimeter includes several city blocks in an area bordered by Sherbrooke, St. Catherine and Bleury Streets as well as University Avenue.
Montreal's underground city snakes through the downtown area, stretching for kilometres and linking dozens of buildings through an elaborate tunnel system.
Mayor Gerald Tremblay said the problem is in the one particular tunnel and not a widespread problem in the city's sprawling underground network. He urged people to stay away from the area for the weekend.
"The area is closed to pedestrians as well as businesses," Gerald Tremblay said. Traffic is also not permitted in the area, which spans several city blocks.
The part of the subway line which serves Montreal's downtown core will also remained closed indefinitely as the McGill station runs below the tunnel, Tremblay said.
"There are no problems to the structures of the metro system, but the metro will remain closed until further notice," Gerald Tremblay said.
Earlier, Mayor Tremblay visited the area and said there's no immediate danger to the public, but by Friday night, the city made the decision to block off the area.
"The security of Montrealers is our first priority," Mayor Tremblay added.
Police spokesman Robert Mansueto said several other buildings in the area were being emptied in an orderly fashion. No citizens are directly affected by the evacuation order, as the area includes mainly businesses and offices.
Meanwhile, engineers were taking a closer look at the two large fissures in the ceiling of a tunnel that makes up part of Montreal's sprawling underground city.
They are trying to determine whether the street that runs above it will need to be reinforced.
The tunnel runs east to west below de Maisonneuve Boulevard and city engineers were checking to see if there was any fear of the roadway collapsing.
No timetable has been set for how long it will take to evaluate the situation but engineers and fire officials would be working through out the weekend, Gerald Tremblay said.
Several hundred people were forced to leave The Bay on Friday afternoon and a major subway line was shut down as a precaution causing commuter and traffic hassles.
No injuries have been reported.
Employees at The Bay noticed water infiltrating the building's basement level.
Montreal fire department spokesman Aime Charette says when fire officials did an inspection they noticed water leaking from a damaged concrete slab in the ceiling of the tunnel.