Water valve repairs in Arlington cause road closures Friday afternoon

Two broken water valve repairs are underway in Arlington, leading to partial road closures and traffic disruptions in and around the area.

The valves, located in the Courthouse neighborhood of Arlington, broke due to repairs to a water main break in a nearby location last night.

“Crews were repairing a water main break nearby at 2410 14th St N yesterday evening. Upon completing the repair, the two valves broke nearby when we pressurized the main,” said Katie O’Brien, the communications manager for Arlington’s Department of Environmental Services.

O’Brien said the valve repairs might impact around 100 residents.

The two broken valves – along with the now-repaired water main – are located in the Courthouse neighborhood of Arlington. 

Specifically, the valve repairs are at:

• 14th St N and N Adams Ct
• 13th Ct N and N Barton St

Arlington’s Department of Environmental Services tweeted an alert just after 2 pm today alerting residents to an emergency water main repair at the location.

Emergency Water Main Repairs: Crew working on 8-inch main at 2401 14th St N. Some 50 customers could be affected. Estimated time for completion: 12/9/2022 9:00 PM. Traffic diverted around work site. Questions: 703-228-6555. https://t.co/i3mMGFOQ1z pic.twitter.com/APG8x5XxyN

— Arlington Department of Environmental Services (@ArlingtonDES) December 9, 2022

More than 60% of Arlington’s water mains are 50 years or older, according to the county’s website, making breaks in the pipes “unavoidable and unpredictable,” according to the county.

One resident, Jackie Richardson, said she had trouble sleeping overnight as the crew worked to repair the water main break through the night.

“I mean, they’re working really hard,” Richardson said of the crew working on completing the repairs.

Richardson, who has been a resident for 26 years, said her water had been turned off and on since the initial water main break was discovered yesterday around 5 pm.

Arlington County maintains a water main break map of ongoing repairs and work completed within the last 30 days.

O’Brien told The Wash the repairs are expected to be completed around 9 pm tonight.