Rehabilitation of a drinking water pipe on Rue de la Cathédrale

Last updated November 7, 2025
Reading time: 1 min

The wide-diameter drinking water pipe (1.5 m) beneath Rue de la Cathédrale, Rue Metcalfe and Rue McTavish in the Ville-Marie borough will be rehabilitated to prevent possible breaks and prolong its service life.

What you need to know about the work site

Where

  • At the corner of Rue de la Cathédrale and Rue Saint-Jacques 
  • On Rue Metcalfe between Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest and Boulevard René-Lévesque 
  • At Parc Rutherford 

When

From the end of November until December 2026

What

Built as a tunnel in 1977, at a considerable depth in the rock, the pipe will be rehabilitated using a carbon-fibre reinforced polymer.

Why

These work operations will help improve the local drinking water supply and the service life of the pipe.

Work phases and archaeological excavations

  • In the east section of Square-Dorchester, near Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest, an accessway will be built to reach the pipe at the required depth.  
  • Part of the square and Rue Metcalfe will be closed. A southbound traffic lane will be maintained at all times on Rue Metcalfe between Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest and Boulevard René-Lévesque. 
  • Rue de la Cathédrale will also be partly closed during these work operations. A southbound traffic lane will be maintained at all times between Rue Saint-Antoine and Rue Saint-Jacques. 
  • Given that Square-Dorchester was built on top of the former Saint-Antoine catholic cemetery, archaeological excavations are also planned on the site.

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