Water, Water Everywhere — Especially on I-495

By Falls Church City Communications

Falls Church City utility operations crews have identified the location of the water main break which occurred early Thursday morning under I-495 where it passes under Rt. 29 in the Merrifield area of Fairfax County.  As of 5:30 p.m. Thursday, two lanes of I-495 were still closed, but crews hoped they could be reopened by Friday morning.

Water pressure was reported as stable and adequate in areas of Merrifield and Fairview Park, which had experienced low or no water pressure immediately after the break.

The broken pipe is located about 11 feet underground and is 10″ in diameter and made of cast iron.  The cause of the break is still unknown.

The break caused water to flow over all four lanes of the Beltway, slowing rush-hour traffic.  Even after the broken pipe was shut off, an exit ramp and one northbound lane on the right side of I-495 remained closed. Motorists experienced delays on the inner loop through the afternoon rush hour and could be delayed during Friday morning’s rush hour.

A contractor is on site and digging down to the pipe. Work will continue through the night.

According to the Washington Post, the Virginia Department of Transportation is advising drivers to avoid using the inner loop of the Beltway near Falls Church on Friday morning.

UPDATE: The two lanes of I-495 that had been closed due to the water main break repairs were reopened about noon Friday.  As of 9:30 p.m, last night, the 10″ pipe under I-495 was  completely capped off and all customers were back to full service.  By 11 p.m. last night the backfilling along I-495 ( the excavated area ) was completed.  On Friday morning the contractor laid the asphalt and the paving was completed around 11 a.m. with all lanes reopened by 12 noon.