Crews work at the site of a water line break on Nineteenth Street just east of Haskell Avenue. The break was repaired and service has been restored to customers in the area, but Nineteenth Street remains closed to through traffic from Haskell Avenue to Miller Drive, possibly until Thursday.

A large water main break has closed 19th Street in east Lawrence between Haskell Avenue and Miller Drive.

Jeanette Klamm, utilities systems analyst for the city of Lawrence, said the line was reported broken about 7:30 p.m. Friday. The line has been repaired and service restored to customers early Saturday morning, but the section of Nineteenth Street remains closed to through traffic and may remain so until Thursday.

“Of course, they will try to open it sooner,” Klamm said. “That’s not a little line that runs through there. It washed out a lot of mud and sand.”

The timing of the street closing is bad because 19th Street does provide access to the Douglas County Fairgrounds on the week of the fair. Klamm said she had informed the Douglas County Fair Board of the situation and detour signs have been placed routing traffic around the closed street.

A weak spot in the water line probably broke as ground shifted under the surface because of hot summer weather, Klamm said.