Water Main Break Squeeze Traffic on Mattis Ave. in Champaign

Two lanes of Mattis Avenue remain closed near the Champaign Post Office, as an Illinois-American Water Company crew works to repair a water main that broke late Monday night.

Illinois-American Water Champaign District Manager Barry Suits says the broken pipe was one of the main pipes leading out of the company's Mattis Avenue water treatment plant. The break occurred around midnight Monday night, causing sinkholes to form on the easternmost northbound lane.

The water main break forced the closure of Mattis Avenue near the post office, south of Bloomington Road. The road was reopened to traffic Tuesday, but northbound traffic is being routed through the center lane, while repairs continue.

Tom Schuh of the Champaign Public Works Department says he expects another lane of Mattis to reopen to traffic Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday. But he says it may be several days before the easternmost lane is clear for driving.