Georgia Avenue southbound in Wheaton will remain closed through the night and probably the Thursday morning rush hour due to a water main break.

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The ruptured main is located near Shorefield Road. Pipe repairs will be completed tonight but the road repairs may take longer. A WSSC spokesperson said the work probably would not be done for the morning rush hour.

Montgomery County police reports southbound Georgia Avenue at Randolph Rd, northbound Georgia Avenue at Arcola Avenue, Weisman Road and Grandview Avenue are all closed.

The 16-inch water main popped in the predawn hours on Wednesday right under the middle of Georgia Avenue. While temperatures have made the repair crew suffer or seek shelter in air-conditioned equipment, a WSSC spokesperson says heat has nothing to do with the break itself. The pipes are just old.

Water, sand and gravel spewing out of the pipe made a mess of the neighborhood and that detour of all southbound Georgia Avenue traffic made its own kind of mess

“It’s just that its so inconvenient. You gotta drive up and down instead of just driving up Georgia,” said Sergio Josephino.

Neighborhood streets are still clogged with drivers looking for a way around. Motorists are urged to use alternate routes.