Roads closed, 20 homes evacuated, power outages after water main break in New Westminster

A section of East Columbia Street closed Friday morning and some homes have been evacuated in New Westminster after a water main break.

The City of New Westminster says East Columbia Street is closed from McBride Boulevard to Richmond Street until further notice — and has been since as early as 2 a.m.

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In a statement to CityNews, Metro Vancouver says the break occurred around 11:45 p.m. Thursday night. It says Metro Vancouver Emergency Management crews have been on scene since, and are working to find the leak.

“Our priority is isolating the pipe to minimize impact on the municipality and the region. We will then survey the damages to determine next steps for restoration,” said a Metro Vancouver spokesperson.

Metro Vancouver says a fix — and the clean-up — will take weeks.

“Think of that water coming through the pipe like a freight down the tracks you just can’t stop,” said Metro Vancouver commissioner and CAO Jerry Dobrovolny.

“It takes hours to not only isolate the valves but also redirect water [and] gradually slow down the flow.”

In an update before 5 a.m., the city said the water main break is affecting “multiple locations” on Francis Way and Jamieson Court. Approximately 20 residences on Francis Way have been evacuated. Meanwhile, two apartment buildings on Jamieson Court have had their power cut due to water entering their electrical rooms.

New Westminster Fire and Rescue Services says approximately 50 people have been displaced.

The city says Emergency Support Services is assisting displaced residents and BC Hydro is working to restore power. 

“Please avoid the area as crews are on scene working to resolve the issue,” the city said.

New West Fire Deputy Chief Brad Davie says this is one of the largest water main ruptures he has been involved with.

“Most of our water main ruptures are significantly smaller.”

Westbound traffic is being diverted from Brunette Avenue to Braid Street. Drivers can expect delays on their morning commutes.

1130 NewsRadio Air Patrol Anchor Darren Grieve says there’s a nearly 100-metre stretch of East Columbia Street that’s completely flooded out on both sides of the road.

“They’ve got it cordoned off with some columns of pilons. But as far as the work goes, it’s a little further up from from Columbia itself. The work crews are working on the water main itself. But so far, I don’t see any crews where the water is on Columbia just yet,” Grieve explained.

He says the biggest delays appear to be the northbound on the Pattullo Bridge.

“If you’re going to take that McBride southbound exit, you can do that if you’re going westbound on Columbia, but if you plan to go eastbound on Columbia, you’ll have to do a u-turn at the end of McBride,” said Grieve.

“So continue on McBride. Take [8th Street] and you’ll be in much better shape.”

There is currently no timeline for East Columbia Street to reopen.

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With files from Monika Gul.