Third Avenue was completely reopened to traffic by midday Thursday after city workers brought gushing water from a broken water main under control.
They were brought in after the water main, installed in 1956 and made of cast iron, ruptured Wednesday at about 4 p.m., forcing a closure of Third from Winnipeg to Rupert Streets.
Small fountains of water gushed up through the pavement for a time.
Workers and heavy equipment were brought in to dig down to the water main, replace the damaged section, and to remove ice and snow from catch basins so water could drain into the storm sewer system.
By about midday, the hole had been refilled and the section patched up with gravel. It should be repaved by March 22, the city said in a press release issued Thursday.
Just under a kilometre of water mains are scheduled for replacement this year, the city added, with the work funded out of revenue generated from the utility bills sent to property owners twice a year.
