Water main break shuts down Wendover Avenue, closes GTCC Greensboro campus

An eight-inch water main break shut down westbound lanes of East Wendover Avenue in Greensboro and cut water service to about nine businesses, including Guilford Technical Community College’s Greensboro campus. The closure hit the 3600 block of East Wendover Avenue, from Penry Road to Aunt Mary Avenue, one of the city’s busiest east-west corridors and a stretch where even a short utility failure can ripple into traffic delays and interrupted service.

The break was reported just before 11:30 a.m. Monday, June 15, and city officials said crews would stay on site until repairs were finished, the lanes reopened and water service was restored. Reopening was expected by midnight Monday night into Tuesday, June 16, if the work stayed on schedule. During the shutdown, drivers were told to take alternate routes as westbound traffic was forced off a key route that links shops, schools and commuter traffic across Greensboro.

GTCC said its Greensboro campus would close from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. while crews worked on the break. The college also said it would update students by 4 p.m. on Monday about evening classes starting at 5 p.m. or later, underscoring how quickly a water emergency on Wendover can disrupt campus operations as well as business activity nearby.

The city said approximately nine businesses lost water service. That meant immediate interruption for nearby operators that rely on water for customers, food service, cleaning and daily business functions, even as the road closure slowed access for deliveries and commuters moving through the corridor. Greensboro officials also asked residents to watch for discoloration after service was restored and to run cold water through a faucet without an aerator until it cleared.

Residents and businesses were told to call Greensboro Water Resources’ 24-hour Dispatch line at 336-373-2033 to report water leaks or water main breaks. The break also landed against a backdrop of other utility work already affecting the same corridor: Greensboro had announced earlier in 2026 that Maple Park Lane, from Third Street to East Wendover Avenue, would have occasional lane closures and delays through Monday, June 29, because of water line rehabilitation work. Together, the planned work and the sudden failure showed how vulnerable this part of Wendover can be when underground infrastructure gives way.