Updated Monday Nov. 30 – Drivers who travel through the busy Bethesda section of Rockville Pike between Cedar Lane and the Beltway can expect lane closures starting Tuesday and lasting five to 10 days.
Starting Tuesday, crews from the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) will begin “comprehensive repairs” to the water main under Rockville Pike that broke on Oct. 13, sending water rushing into the roadway and causing a road closure that caused backups as far south as downtown Bethesda.
The State Highway Administration (SHA), which has been conducting previously planned intersection improvement work at Cedar Lane and Rockville Pike, made the announcement Tuesday. But on Wednesday, WSSC made its own announcement detailing the work.
The right two southbound lanes will be completely shut down with a temporary wall to protect the construction area. One of the two remaining southbound lanes will act as a through lane, while the other will be a right turn lane onto West Cedar Lane. As the repairs progress, one more through lane will be reopened.
The WSSC said that despite the SHA's announcement, no northbound lanes will be closed.
The repairs are a follow-up to the initial repairs WSSC crews made to the 16-inch, 74-year-old cast iron pipe immediately after it broke. WSSC crews will shore up the roadway and replace the curb and gutter drainage system.
After the pipe repairs, WSSC contractors will be responsible for resurfacing any sections of road that were excavated.
By one metric, the intersection of Rockville Pike and Cedar Lane has been ranked as the most congested intersection in the county.
“Drivers should add extra commute time for repairs and lane closures through the end of the year,” a notice from SHA reads. “WSSC asks your patience as their crews work to complete the project.”
