John Matthews
WMAL.com
BETHESDA — (WMAL) Repairs of the 16-inch water main which broke beneath Rockville Pike in Bethesda on Tuesday afternoon will likely continue into Wednesday evening, and commuters are being urged to avoid the entire stretch of the highway between Cedar Lane and Pooks Hill Road until the repaving work is completed.
Repairs to the 74-year old pipe actually had to be made twice. An initial fix completed overnight did not work, and new materials had to be brought in Wednesday morning in order to complete the pipe repair before the actual road repair could commence.
The break undermined the road surface in places, and aside from backfilling the area under the roadway, the entire road surface will have to be milled and resurfaced by crews from the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission.
When we take off the top couple of inches of asphalt, much as we do in a normal resurfacing job, then you can make it all back flush,” said Dave Buck with Maryland State Highways, which will inspect the repair job. “That’s something that will be happening through the day today and into tonight,” he added.
That means you should avoid Rockville Pike through Bethesda during the Wednesday afternoon rush at all costs.
“Folks, to they extent they can, should use Rt. 185 (Connecticut Avenue) and try to stay off [Rockville Pike],” said Buck. “It’s not the best alternative in the world, but trying to stay away from this intersection through the evening rush is going to be a really smart move.”
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