2024 – Longueuil | Major gas leak, Boulevard Taschereau partially closed

A major natural gas leak left thousands of homes without power and Taschereau Boulevard in Longueuil had to be closed on Sunday morning.

The Longueuil agglomeration police were able to confirm in the early afternoon that it was a natural gas leak.

The incident is believed to have occurred shortly before 9:15 a.m. near Boulevard Taschereau, at the Chemin du Coteau-Rouge.

As a preventive measure, the artery between Boulevard Curé-Poirier and the entrance to the Jacques-Cartier Bridge was closed to traffic. The lanes have now only been reopened in the direction of Brossard.

It will take several hours of work to plug the leak, said police spokesman François Boucher.

“We cannot estimate at this point how long the operation will take,” he had warned a few hours earlier.

Most of Hydro-Québec's affected customers had their power restored by early afternoon, but fewer than 500 customers were still waiting for connection as of 2 p.m.

No injuries were reported.

Since the ramp from Taschereau Boulevard to the Jacques-Cartier Bridge is still closed, the police are asking the public to avoid the area. “We have to expect traffic disruptions,” said François Boucher.