Hydro-Québec still repairing electrical pylon on Montreal’s South Shore after collision that left thousands without power
Posted July 11, 2024 10:34 am.
Last Updated July 11, 2024 3:26 pm.
Hydro-Québec is working to repair an electrical pylon that collapsed following a collision on Montreal’s South Shore over the weekend.
It left about 88,000 people without power – with some only getting back on the grid Monday morning.
The collision happened Saturday night near the corner of Chemin Chambly and Autoroute 30, at around 9:45 p.m.
A bus carrying volunteer firefighters from the Montérégie region collided with a car – before hitting a transmission tower.
Longueuil police (SPAL) confirmed late Sunday that the drivers of the bus from the Association of Auxiliary Firefighters of Montérégie (APAM) and the driver of the car involved in the accident were arrested.
“Our teams are working in Saint-Hubert on the South Shore of Montreal at the scene of the accident where a bus hit one of our pylons,” reads a social media post by Hydro-Québec on Wednesday afternoon. “We have to dismantle the existing pylon and then build a new one, a job that will take several days.”
“The first part of the work consists of detaching the guard cables and conductors still attached to the pylon. Given the significant tension present on the cables, this is work that must be done in stages, with great care, in order to ensure the safety of workers and the integrity of the cables. The cables will then be fixed on wooden posts while awaiting the construction of a new pylon.”
“Our objective is to allow traffic to be restored on Chemin de Chambly at the end of the week,” wrote Hydro-Québec.
The driver of the APAM bus, a 60-year-old man, faces charges of dangerous driving causing injury, while the driver of the car is accused of impaired driving.
