Water has been restored to the 900 block of Massachusetts Street where a water line ruptured Friday, forcing utility crews to shut off the water to fix the break.

“We finished up last night around 12:30 a.m.,” said Bob Skinner, field operations superintendent for the Lawrence Utilities Department. “The leak is fixed.”

Richard Jaimez, with the city's utility department, attempts to close a water line after a water main break downtown. A burst pipe near the intersection of Ninth and Massachusetts streets disrupted traffic and left many downtown businesses, including restaurants, without water.

The water line broke about 11 a.m. and several inches of water flooded the road. The surging water caused portions of the street to buckle, making it unsafe for vehicles. A drop in water pressure also caused the automatic fire alarm in the U.S. Bank building to sound.

“With the cold weather and the aging pipes, we think it just burst,” said David Osborne, a project manager for the city of Lawrence’s utility department. “The piping is from 1886, and it’s one of the oldest lines in town.”

Although the street remained closed Friday, the street is open today. However, drivers should be warned that the street has two narrow lanes, Skinner said.

Now the goal is to get the road repaired Monday, when the weather is expected to be slightly warmer and drier, city manager Mike Wildgen said.

“We’re doing to do what we can to fix the original problem and get the road back into usable shape, but it probably won’t be a final fix because we’ll need warmer weather,” he said.

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With no water between Ninth and 10th streets along Massachusetts, restaurants in the block were forced to close for the day. City officials at first thought water would be back on by 5 p.m. or 6 p.m.

“Most people understand that it’s beyond our control,” said Matt Easley, area manager for Chipotle. Easley’s employees put up signs informing people to go to the Chipotle store on the west side of town.

By Friday evening, Chipotle, Mad Greek, Milton’s, Mass Street Deli, Jimmie John’s, the Red Lyon and Pizza Hut had closed for the day with plans to reopen today.

The Replay Lounge, Jackpot Saloon and Qdoba were able to remain open because their water comes from other water lines.

A busted water main near Ninth and Massachusetts streets disrupted traffic and left many downtown businesses, including restaurants, without water. The recent fluctuation in temperatures was thought to be the cause of the break.

Other businesses remained open Friday with few problems. Crafty & Co. employee Malindi Alexander said the craft store stayed open with only minor inconvenience. She had to use a pitcher of water to wash her hands.

“You just don’t think about how much you use something until it’s gone,” said Chris Deman, owner of Crafty. “But we’ll be fine. I just feel bad for the restaurants.”

There were no estimates on repair costs. City workers will be paid some overtime, but no outside contractors will be hired for the repairs, Wildgen said.

Lawrence City Commissioner David Dunfield was in the area while crews worked. He said the city was in the midst of a multiyear program to replace aging infrastructure.

“People have experienced some inconvenience because of it,” Dunfield said of the general repairs. “There’s obviously a need.”

Wildgen said the line that broke had been scheduled for replacement in about three years.