A commuter was shocked to see a “waterfall” pouring onto Highway 85 in Kitchener on Wednesday afternoon.
In a *401 call to 570 NewsRadio, a resident said she was driving on the highway around noon when, suddenly, she could see water pouring over a barrier edge onto the roadway. The video she sent shows water rushing from the recently demolished Frederick Street Bridge, causing drivers to slow down as it pooled.
There were brief delays in the southbound lanes before the water abruptly stopped. The City of Kitchener told 570 NewsRadio that Kitchener Utilities responded to the scene to close a valve and shut off the water, about an hour after the issue was first reported.
While Kitchener Utilities reported online that crews responded to a water main break at 460 Frederick Street, a city spokesperson said there wasn’t actually a water main break, and that a Ministry of Transportation (MTO) contractor was completing the repairs.
The MTO is responsible for the Frederick Street Bridge reconstruction project, and a request for comment was sent to the Ministry.
This portion of the highway is in the Mannheim Service Area, which is under scrutiny for recently unearthed water capacity issues, causing problems to the region’s growth plans.
