Controversial, delayed Bethesda street closure now scheduled for July 20, utility says

A controversial extended closure of a segment of Woodmont Avenue in downtown Bethesda that was delayed earlier this summer is now back on for July 20, 2026. Water utility WSSC announced today that the portion of Woodmont between Strathmore Street and Wisconsin Avenue will remain closed through early November. The closure was deemed necessary to replace a 54" large valve vault below the street. Vehicular and delivery access will be maintained for the Solaire Bethesda apartments, and the Prenuvo Bethesda medical imaging facility. 

Detour signs will be posted to guide drivers around the closure. The blockading of the secondary north-south route through downtown Bethesda will have a significant impact on traffic during July and August, due to the loss of two travel lanes on Wisconsin that are restricted to buses during the closure of three Red Line Metro stations this summer. WSSC notes that the closure could extend beyond early November if the area should experience long periods of disruptive weather.

On second thought...Woodmont Avenue closure postponed in Bethesda

A potentially devastating street closure near Bethesda Row has been postponed. Cryptic signs referring to an unidentified segment of Woodmont Avenue closing appeared last week. Eventually, the segment was identified as being located between Strathmore Street and Wisconsin Avenue, and it was to remain closed from June 8 through August 31, 2026. Now the electronic sign boards are advising "Work Delayed" and "Road Open."

Woodmont Ave. to close between Strathmore St. & Wisconsin Ave. June 8 - August 31 in Bethesda

There's finally an explanation for those cryptic "Woodmont to close" signs placed at Bethesda Row recently. Several commenters had suggested it might be for an upcoming WSSC water utility project, and it turns out that this is indeed the case. It's a major project to replace a 54" large-valve vault under Leland Street, a project so big it will take from June until October 2026 to complete. The work will require Woodmont Avenue to close between Strathmore Street and Wisconsin Avenue from June 8 to August 31.

Street access will be for residents and affected businesses only during that period. WSSC expects all work to be completed during business hours on weekdays, and between 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM on weekends. Nighttime work will be performed only if determined to be necessary, and, of course, dates could move if there are extended periods of bad weather between now and October. WSSC promises to restore pavement conditions to what they were or better, after the project is completed. Needless to say, along with the loss of two lanes of Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda through the end of August, our traffic nightmares will soon be reaching Freddy Krueger proportions.

2 EB lanes of Bradley Boulevard reopen in Bethesda after water main break

A crew from water utility WSSC worked throughout the night into today to repair a major water main break on Bradley Boulevard near Arlington Road and the CVS Pharmacy in downtown Bethesda. Two eastbound lanes of Bradley are now open again to traffic. A resurfacing crew is now repairing and paving the remaining lanes that were damaged by the rupture yesterday. The water main was a 20-inch diameter pipe. WSSC did not specify the year it was installed. Three adjacent businesses lost water service. WSSC expects all lanes of Bradley to be accessible by the end of the day.

WSSC finally addresses water main break at Old Georgetown Rd. & Woodmont Ave. in Bethesda

A water main break in the intersection of Old Georgetown Road and Woodmont Avenue was finally tackled by a crew from the WSSC water utility last night. The leak was now being measured in weeks rather than hours or days, and had caused persistent pooling of water in the intersection. WSSC repaired a significant water main break only a couple of blocks away on Wisconsin Avenue last week, where the roadway was in such bad shape that the utility had to resurface the street in the affected area.

WSSC is aware of ongoing water main break on Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda

Water continued to flow in the intersection of Old Georgetown Road and Woodmont Avenue in downtown Bethesda on Wednesday. But water utility WSSC says it is aware of the leak, and has put the location on its list of repairs. "We're coordinating with nearby businesses and apartment buildings to help minimize any water service interruptions," WSSC told me via Twitter. A WSSC crew completed repairs to a major pipe break about a block away on Tuesday, which required a full resurfacing of the block of Wisconsin Avenue in question.

WSSC repairs damage to Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda (Video + Photos)

Water utility WSSC led a major repair effort overnight in Bethesda, to get Wisconsin Avenue back into shape between Old Georgetown Road and Montgomery Avenue. The roadway was damaged by a water main break on Monday. WSSC removed the damaged section of 8' pipe from below the street yesterday, and then made preparations to resurface the road. A WSSC crew, contractors, and the Maryland State Highway Administration were all on the scene Tuesday night into this morning, resurfacing the street in front of the Hyatt Regency Bethesda hotel. 

Bethesda CVS Pharmacy reopens after extended closure due to water outage

The CVS Pharmacy at 7235 Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda has reopened, after an unscheduled and extended closure. A water main break on January 6, 2025 left the store without water service. Utility WSSC stated on January 7 that it had restored service to customers in that vicinity, but the store remained closed for weeks beyond that. CVS cited a water outage as the reason for the closure. WSSC has not elaborated further on the matter since January 7, but recently announced that its crews have responded to 414 water main breaks so far this month.

Bethesda CVS Pharmacy remains closed a week after water main break

The CVS Pharmacy at 7235 Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda remained closed yesterday, a week after a water main break across the street from the store on Wisconsin Avenue. Early on the morning of January 7, 2025, water utility WSSC posted on Twitter that it expected water service to be restored to customers impacted at 1:35 AM. WSSC has not posted any further updates about this particular water main break since, but the CVS has not reopened.

WSSC repairs downtown Bethesda water main break ahead of snowstorm

Water utility WSSC finally got around to addressing the water main break at the intersection of Arlington Road and Bethesda Avenue last night, as the area prepares for another shift in temperatures this weekend. The water main rupture first became apparent last Monday night, December 30, 2024. A WSSC crew got to it just in time last evening, as the plunging temperature threatened to turn the pooling water at the intersection into ice. Expect more water main breaks this weekend, as we go from the twenties back up to a high of 36 degrees on Sunday, prior to the snowstorm arriving Sunday night.

Water main break in downtown Bethesda

Extreme temperature shifts over the last few days have brought predictable results in downtown Bethesda. Last night, an apparent water main break was visible at the intersection of Arlington Road and Bethesda Avenue. Water began pooling in that area as temperatures began dropping across the region early last evening. The mains under Bethesda Avenue have been a trouble spot for water utility WSSC frequently in recent years.