A 20-inch diameter water main broke and flooded a large portion of Bradley Boulevard around 2 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue shut down the affected section, which stretched across Arlington and Hillendale Road, while working to repair the damage.

Holton Arms sophomore Bryce Ammerman was driving to SoulCycle in Bethesda Row when the main broke. Ammerman said she saw helicopters flying overhead and police cars blocking off the street. 

“It was some of the worst traffic I’ve ever seen in my life, outside of New York City,” Ammerman said.

According to officials from WSSC Water, a water service commission in the D.C. area, the pipe was 10 feet underground and installed in 2018, making it fairly new. Engineers are still investigating what caused the rupture.

Crews shut off water in the area around 6 p.m. Tuesday to drain the flood, leaving several businesses and apartments without running water. Whitman social studies teacher Katherine Kalin lives near Bethesda Row, and said the flooding could have had detrimental effects. 

“I go to the Walgreens nearby in that plaza,” Kalin said. “If I needed to go pick up my medication that day, I wouldn’t have been able to go.”

Utility workers completed repairs to the main as of 7 a.m. Wednesday, and reinstated water service to the surrounding buildings. High water pressure from the flood caused road cracking in the pavement, making it unsuitable for driving. At 3 p.m., eastbound lanes were resurfaced and unblocked, and by 7 p.m., all lanes reopened.

Stores including Safeway, CVS and Liberty Gas saw a decline in customer traffic due to the restricted road access. Whitman sophomore Alexandra Mantelmacher said her grandfather owns a shop near Bradley Boulevard called Gaylord’s Lamps and Shades. Mantelmacher said the flood affected their business. 

“They had to close for the day,” Mantelmacher said. “None of the employees could get to work.”