City crews respond to a water main break at 23rd and Massachusetts streets, Monday, Aug. 24, 2015. All eastbound lanes into the intersection were blocked off, and traffic was reduced to one lane in each direction in the two westbound lanes of 23rd Street from Vermont to Massachusetts.

A water main break Monday afternoon at the intersection of 23rd and Massachusetts streets could interrupt traffic for “a couple to a few days,” said Jeanette Klamm, management analyst for the city of Lawrence.

All eastbound lanes into the intersection are blocked off, and traffic has been reduced to one lane in each direction in the two westbound lanes of 23rd Street from Vermont to Massachusetts.

Klamm said city workers were cutting the upper layer of concrete so that a pavement contractor could examine lower layers Tuesday morning and determine whether there has been extensive damage. She said workers won’t know how long it will take to repair the road until that inspection occurs. She said they should have some answers by late Tuesday morning.

City crews respond to a water main break at 23rd and Massachusetts streets, Monday, Aug. 24, 2015. All eastbound lanes into the intersection were blocked off, and traffic was reduced to one lane in each direction in the two westbound lanes of 23rd Street from Vermont to Massachusetts.

A contractor has put up signs attempting to divert some traffic from the area and take some pressure off of 23rd Street, Klamm said. She said traffic is being detoured south on Louisiana Street to 31st Street and east to Haskell Avenue.

Klamm said the less traffic in the area the better, not necessarily for city crews but because motorists will face delays.

“If people follow the directed route, it will probably get them there faster,” she said.

Klamm said there were reports earlier of three homes in the area without water. She said typically crews will try to keep water running to affected locations for as long as possible and only shut it off when they absolutely have to, but she was not sure if they were able to do so in this case because it is a “pretty good sized line.”

The water main, a 1954 12-inch cast-iron pipe according to a city news release, broke sometime around 2 p.m. Monday. Pipes typically range between 6 and 8 inches in diameter, Klamm said.