Downtown section of LRT to close this weekend and next

The LRT will be partially closed for the last weekend of April and the first weekend of May while crews assess the extent ofrepairs neededto prevent water leaks in itstunnel, OC Transpo says.

The closurebetween Hurdmanand Parliament stations April 29 and 30 and May 6 and 7 is part of regular maintenance for underground tunnels, according to a memo to councilfrom OC Transpo general manager Rene Amilcar.

It will allow Rideau Transit Group todetermine "the scope of required repairs to prevent water infiltration in sections of the tunnel," Amilcar wrote.

There's more scheduled tunnel maintenance in June, she added.

Trainswill continue to run on either end of the closure, between Tunney's Pasture and Parliament stations in the west and between Hurdman and Blair stations in the east, according to the memo.

R1 bus service will run between Hurdman and Lyon stations, Amilcar said. Regular LRT service will resume on both Monday mornings.