Motorists on Iowa Street pass a broken water main at Iowa Street and Yale Road on Wednesday morning. Traffic was restricted to one lane in each direction between Ninth Street and Harvard Road, and will remain that way until the road is completely repaired.

A burst pipe spewed water onto a busy Lawrence street Wednesday morning, diverting traffic and causing the pavement to partially buckle.

Repair crews from the city’s utility department diverted northbound Iowa Street traffic to the center lane between Harvard Road and Ninth Street. Later Wednesday, traffic was reduced to one lane in either direction. It will remain that way until repair work is complete.

Crews removed the street’s pavement to locate and patch the 10-inch water main. Water was shut off to 10 to 12 area businesses and 10 to 12 homes. Service was restored by evening.

The burst pipe on Iowa Street at Yale Road caused soil to shift beneath the street’s surface, buckling parts of the road closest to the curb.

Jeannette Klamm, utilities program manager, said recent hot weather likely contributed to the water main break.

“Typically, with hot weather, you’ve got clay and : the soil contracts or expands. Anytime you have contracting or expanding soil, you have the possibility of weak spots and lines breaking,” she said.

Klamm said that work to repair the pavement would begin soon after the water main is fixed. The street is expected to be back to normal by the end of the week.