Borough seeking fix for broken water main at Doherty/Chester intersection

A spokesman for the Borough of Côte des Neiges-NDG says it will be Friday at least before employees with the public works department are back trying to repair a water main break at the corner of Doherty and Chester avenues. There’s been a large hole in the middle of the intersection for nearly two months now, causing problems with traffic.

According to François Puchin, workers who were responding several months ago to what appeared to be a collapsed manhole discovered damage beneath the street was far more extensive. Since then, they’ve tried several times to get the water pressure to drop so as to allow a closer inspection.

On Friday, they hope to find a way to control the water and resume the work. Puchin said a a 24-inch water main was broken. It provides service not just to local homes, but to other parts of NDG, as well as to a section of the City of Côte St. Luc. He said the borough is trying to complete the work without having to shut off the water to local residents. “They want to have the big picture,” he said. “They don’t want to repair just two-thirds of the problem, if there’s another third that’s missing. And to know about that other other part, they can either cut off the water for a lot of people, or reduce the pressure within the conduit.”

The delay has caused some unncessary inconveniences. After excavating, the workers left a large pile of dredged material on the street next to the hole, blocking the westward view for motorists heading northward along Doherty through the intersection.