WATERVILLE — A water main break that led officials to close Armory Road on Friday morning was expected to be repaired in the evening.

Officials also expected service to customers in the area to be restored by Friday night.

Armory Road experienced “severe” damage as a result of the incident and will be temporarily repaired with gravel to make the road passable, according to Jefferson Longfellow, the Kennebec Water District’s engineering manager. The district estimated the road would be opened again by 9 p.m. Friday.

Kennebec Water District crews were expected to return on Monday to further assess the damage and begin permanent repairs on the road, Longfellow said.

Armory Road is a key connector between the city’s upper Main Street commercial area and College Avenue.

In a post on its Facebook page, the Kennebec Water District initially said crews were on site working to repair the water main, which experienced a break near the intersection with Industrial Road. A “significant section” of the 16-inch water main burst early Friday, Longfellow said.

While the work continued, Armory Road was expected to be closed to traffic between Main Street and Drummond Avenue, according to the water district. Industrial Road is a dead-end road with several commercial lots, with the Waterville Elks Lodge at the far end.

Along with beginning permanent repairs on the road, the water district expects to conduct follow up biological testing on the repaired main on Monday.

It was too soon to determine a cause for the water main break on Friday, Longfellow said.

Earlier this year, the Kennebec Water District also responded to two water main breaks in Waterville, both on Kennedy Memorial Drive.

On May 3, a water main break occurred between First Rangeway and the Shaw’s Plaza, affecting about 60 customers. Early the next week, on May 7, a second break occurred at the entrance to Shaw’s Plaza, causing lessened water pressure for customers in the area.