Bethesda neighborhood sealed off due to gas leak (Photos)

Another major gas leak has been detected in Bethesda, this time in a residential neighborhood bordering downtown Bethesda. The Sacks subdivision on Leland Street has been entirely sealed off between Woodmont Avenue and Bradley Boulevard. A Washington Gas crew is on-site digging under the street to locate and repair the leak. There is a strong odor of natural gas in the air in that vicinity.

Washington Gas still working after major leak in downtown Bethesda (Photos)

Washington Gas continues to work on multiple sites within an area of downtown Bethesda that Montgomery County police cordoned off during a major gas leak last Monday night. While Montgomery County officials publicly pinpointed a valve box as the source of the leak near the intersection of Old Georgetown Road and St. Elmo Avenue Tuesday morning, a Washington Gas crew was seen working on Cordell Avenue two days later. Yesterday, another team from the utility was performing extensive work on gas infrastructure underneath Old Georgetown Road, again within the boundaries of the area impacted by Monday's leak, and reducing Old Georgetown to one lane in each direction. Neither the County, nor the utility, has commented on the extended work since the initial incident.

Washington Gas continues work following major Bethesda gas leak

A Washington Gas utility crew continued working in the area of downtown Bethesda impacted by Monday night's gas leak yesterday. While Montgomery County officials stated that the leak had been located near the intersection of Old Georgetown Road and St. Elmo Avenue, work yesterday was focused a block away from there, on Cordell Avenue between Old Georgetown and Norfolk Avenue. That block had been part of the sizeable area ultimately cordoned off by County police by early Tuesday morning. Washington Gas has not yet commented publicly on the leak, which is in the same general area where other significant gas leaks have occurred in recent years, with the largest taking place in June of 2024 on Norfolk Avenue.

"Major" gas leak closes intersection in downtown Bethesda (Photos)

Update - February 3, 2026, 6:50 AM: MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer says Washington Gas has located the gas leak in a valve box in the vicinity of Old Georgetown Road and St. Elmo Avenue. A Washington Gas crew has remained on the scene and is in the process of repairing the leak.

Update - 10:54 PM: Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson Pete Piringer says the area being searched for the leak now includes Cordell and Del Ray Avenues near Old Georgetown Road. Piringer reports there are "high readings of gas in entire area outside; higher readings at utility manholes."

Update - 10:28 PM: Police have extended the closure of St. Elmo Avenue to Norfolk Avenue. Burtonsville Volunteer Fire Department is among the agencies now on-scene.

A gas leak has forced the closure of a major intersection in downtown Bethesda. The four-way intersection of Arlington Road, Old Georgetown Road, St. Elmo Avenue, and Wilson Lane is currently closed due to what one Montgomery County police officer on the scene described as a "major gas leak." There is a noticeable odor of natural gas in the air. Police are directing traffic in the area, which should be avoided at this time.

Target truck rerouted onto Woodmont Avenue 
due to the gas leak road closures

Washington Gas on-scene for Day 2 of the Big Dig in Bethesda's Veterans Park (Photos)

Day 2 brought confirmation that the "Big Dig" taking place in downtown Bethesda's Veterans Park is related to a natural gas line. Washington Gas had a crew at the scene Friday, joining the teams from NPL Construction and Badger Infrastructure Solutions. Badger is a firm that specializes in hydrovac excavation to daylight underground utilities, and for trenching, both of which have been performed in Veterans Park over the last two days. 

Washington Gas works overnight on Arlington Road in Bethesda

Washington Gas worked overnight on its utilities beneath Arlington Road in Bethesda. The work zone was in the vicinity of the Hampden Lane intersection, closing lanes on both streets. Two weeks ago, a major gas leak on Norfolk Avenue required a multi-day response from the utility.

Washington Gas still working on gas leak repair in Bethesda (Photos)

The gas leak on Norfolk Avenue in Bethesda that forced an evacuation of the vicinity Friday night was apparently a major one. A Washington Gas crew is still working on-scene as of this hour, about 41-and-a-half-hours after the leak was first detected. Norfolk Avenue's roadway between Cordell and St. Elmo Avenues remains closed. The story, which initially drew heavy media coverage that included a helicopter on Friday night, has dropped out of the news over the weekend, but it's clearly not over yet.

Washington Gas works overnight to repair gas leak in Bethesda (Photos)

Sometimes the street has something to say about the Streetery. A gas leak at Norfolk Avenue near Cordell Avenue in Bethesda around 7:30 PM last night disrupted dinner plans for many. The area was evacuated by Montgomery County first responders as a precaution. A Washington Gas crew continued to make repairs over the night into this morning. The Bethesda Streetery section of Norfolk, which had been closed for a concert and outdoor dining Friday evening, remained closed to traffic as work continued.

Washington Gas repairs leak in downtown Bethesda (Photos)

A gas leak on Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda snarled traffic at the height of rush hour Thursday evening, February 1, 2024. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service personnel responded to a report of a leak at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue shortly before 6:00 PM last night. Washington Gas requested that firefighters evacuate the high-rise office building as a safety precaution.

The location of the leak was eventually determined to be under Wisconsin Avenue near the building, MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer said. Streets were blocked off, causing traffic jams around the busy crossroads with Old Georgetown Road and East-West Highway. A Washington Gas crew was still working around midnight to wrap up the repair of the faulty pipe. 

Washington Gas to work on Elm Street in Bethesda Tuesday morning

Washington Gas will be working on Elm Street by the new CVS Pharmacy at Wisconsin Avenue tomorrow morning, June 6, 2023. There will be no parking on that part of the street between 8:00 and 11:00 AM, so it sounds like it will be a brief project. The natural gas utility, and its contractors, have been performing extensive work on its underground infrastructure in downtown Bethesda - especially in the Woodmont Triangle - over the last year. Even if you don't plan to park here, you may want to navigate around this block Tuesday morning.

Washington Gas project is reason for River Road lane closure starting May 31

There's finally some context for the vague message regarding a lane closure on River Road in Bethesda on a Maryland State Highway Administration digital signboard. Washington Gas is preparing to replace a valve under River Road starting June 5, 2023. Contrary to the SHA signs citing Western Avenue as the starting point of the closure, the work area will actually be the southbound lanes of River Road (MD 190) between Brookdale Road and Western Avenue. 

The project is expected to take 6-8 weeks to complete. Work will be performed between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM Monday through Saturday. One lane in each direction will be open to traffic at all times during the project. Left turns from southbound River to eastbound Western Avenue will be restricted, as will left turns from northbound River to Brookdale Road. Follow signage and flagmen direction at all times during the project. You may want to take an alternate route in and out of the District during this time.

Washington Gas working on Rugby Avenue in Bethesda

A major Washington Gas project continues in the Woodmont Triangle area of downtown Bethesda. Last night, a crew was digging on Rugby Avenue near Woodmont Avenue. All businesses in the area remain open.