A water main break in the 7500 block of Marbury Road sent muddy brown water rushing through a Bethesda residential neighborhood Thursday afternoon, buckling the roadway and forcing an extended closure ahead of the evening commute.
Montgomery County Police posted a traffic advisory about 1 p.m. warning that the road was closed and urging drivers to find alternate routes. The department said WSSC Water had been notified and dispatched to make repairs. Video from the scene showed floodwater coursing down the street past homes.
No cause has been publicly identified, and WSSC Water has not released a timeline for completing repairs. As of Thursday evening, police described the situation as "an extended road closure" with no estimated reopening.
Other Bethesda road closures this summer
The Marbury Road break adds to a string of infrastructure disruptions affecting Bethesda drivers this summer. Woodmont Avenue between Wisconsin Avenue and Strathmore Street closed Monday for a planned WSSC valve replacement project expected to last through early November. Detours for that project route traffic along Bethesda Avenue and Bradley Boulevard.
Two months earlier, on Monday, May 19, a separate water main break closed Bradley Boulevard in both directions between Arlington Road and Leland Street, causing roadway damage and requiring WSSC crews to make emergency repairs. Montgomery County Councilmember Andrew Friedson alerted residents to that closure on X at the time.
What drivers should know
Police are advising motorists to avoid the 7500 block of Marbury Road until further notice. No detour route has been officially posted for this closure.
Residents who spot water main breaks or other infrastructure emergencies can contact WSSC Water at (301) 206-4002. Montgomery County Police's non-emergency line is (301) 279-8000.
