River Road closed through Saturday

BETHESDA - The repairs to River Road will extend into the new year, as the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission hopes to reopen the section closed by a massive water main break by Sunday, January 4.

The busy stretch of River Road between Bradley Boulevard and Seven Locks Road in Bethesda will remain closed until then because of ongoing repairs to the main that burst last Tuesday.

Once unearthed, WSSC crews discovered additional cracks and severe corrosion to the pipe. Workers have replaced four sections of the main, with a fifth section of concrete pipe to be replaced within the next two days.

The repair work is taking longer than expected after crews found more signs of deterioration on sections of the pipe near the break.

The pipe is about 15 feet below ground. WSSC says it's inspected more than 1,800 feet of pipe near the site of the break. The commission says it will take several weeks to determine what caused the water main to break.

Last Tuesday, a 66-inch water main burst just before 8 a.m., sending water rushing on to River Road, trapping nine people in vehicles Tuesday morning.

At one point, 150,000 gallons of water per minute were gushing out, spilling debris on to the road.

At least five cars became trapped when the main burst, and rescuers had to use helicopters to save the occupants.

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