A portion of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard just west of First North Street might be closed through Friday as a contracted crew began working on a damaged sewer line this morning, said Public Works Director Bubba Rainer.

“We have a sewer line about 12 feet in the ground with a hole in it, and it’s pulling the dirt down,” said Rainer. “They’ll be out there with a track hoe this morning, and they’ll probably have a repair made by this afternoon.”

Rainer said backfilling and asphalt work will likely be complete Friday.

Damaged sewer lines are common this time of year as soil conditions, cold weather and additional flow in the storm sewer system take a toll on the clay pipe system, which Rainer said is about 100 years old.

“It’s the same thing that happened out on South Street last week,” he said.

Rainer said he did not know if Marrtin Luther King Jr. Boulevard will be reduced to one lane of traffic at the work site or if motorists will be detoured around it.