Cte Saint-Luc residents return home, power restored after gas leak creates traffic chaos

Drivers in Montreal's west end were stuck in gridlock early Thursday after a gas leak forced authorities to close roads near the intersection ofKildare Road and Cavendish Boulevard inCteSaint-Luc.

Benoit Martel, chief of operations for the MontrealFireDepartment, said buildings in the area wereevacuated in the morning for safety reasons.

"The first thing that we have to do is to make sure the gas doesn't go somewhere else, into the buildings," he said late Thursday morning.

nergir, a natural gas company, was on scene in the early afternoon making repairs.

The leak was repaired around 12:40 p.m.

Residents were finally allowedto return to their homes late Thursday afternoon.

Few alternate routes

Witha railyard to the north and train tracks to the south, there are few routes to enter and exitcentralCteSaint-Luc in ordinary circumstances.

The closure of Cavendish Boulevardbacked up traffic in the suburban municipality throughout the day.

By 4:30 p.m., all roads had been reopened to traffic.

Electric generators kicked in

CteSaint-Luc Mayor Mitchell Brownstein said the subcontractor Aquarehab struck the pipe while working on some underground water pipes.

It's not dangerous," said Brownstein.

AHydro-Qubecspokesperson said the power was interrupted at the request of the fire department, leavingnearly 10,000 customers inHampstead,Notre-Dame-de-Grce,CteSaint-Luc and Montreal West without electricity.

Power was restored to the area by Thursday afternoon.

Brownsteinsaid the city's public library and some schools in the area ranon electric generators,and one school was let out early.

With files from Navneet Pall