Major Arlington Road To Shut Down During Rush Hour: County

ARLINGTON, VA — Anyone who plans on driving on North Glebe Road near Chain Bridge Thursday morning should contemplate another route.

Arlington County will be conducting major repairs in the area after last week's water main break.

The road will shut down Wednesday night no earlier than 7 p.m. and remain closed through the Thursday morning rush hour "as crews restore full water system capacity and redundancy," Arlington County said in a statement.

The county says it hopes to reopen the road in time for Thursday night's rush hour.

"Throughout the work, northbound traffic on Route 123 will only be able to turn left onto Chain Bridge. Traffic crossing Chain Bridge from the District will have to turn right onto Route 123," the statement reads. "Within a few hours of the Friday break, crews were able to isolate and stabilize the break and restore pressure to the County’s drinking water system. This week’s work is required to repair the 36-inch transmission main segment, which was installed in 1944."

The repairs are not expected to affect anyone's water service.

"Permanent roadway infrastructure repairs including guard rail replacement and drainage improvements will be conducted in the coming weeks. These repairs will be scheduled to minimize traffic impacts," the statement adds. "Glebe Road is a state route but Arlington County’s Department of Environmental Services has taken the lead in repairs in partnership with the Virginia Department of Transportation."

Arlington County issued the alert early last Friday morning following a water transmission main break at Glebe Road and Chain Bridge. The break, which measured 36 inches, closed chain bridge, according to WTOP.

Crews stabilized the break and set to work trying to restore county water lines.

Photos from the scene (embedded below) show a totally destroyed section of the roadway where the rupture happened.

The closure of Chain Bridge resulted in traffic problems as well during rush hour Friday. Drivers were unable to take outbound Canal Road or inbound Clara Barton Parkway, and traffic on Route 123 was being turned around by police, according to the report. Traffic on Glebe Road was also being turned around, and D.C. police blocked Chain Bridge on their end.

Some photos from the scene. Although pressure has been restored, Water Boil Advisory remains in effect until canceled. All @APSVirginia facilities are closed today. All out of an abundance of caution. pic.twitter.com/UhOFS8DRx7
— Arlington Department of Environmental Services (@ArlingtonDES) November 8, 2019

All schools and offices are closed today, Fri, Nov. 8 due to a large water main break on N. Glebe Rd. Because of the water main break, water pressure is significantly impacted throughout the county. See School Talk Message or Website for details.
— Arlington Public Schools (@APSVirginia) November 8, 2019