LEWISTON – Motorists were advised Friday that the massive sinkhole on the Bleachery Hill section of Lisbon Street may not be repaired until sometime Sunday, at the earliest.

It was the third prediction this week about when the four-lane street would reopen to traffic.

By 6 p.m. Friday, crews were laying down brick beneath the street as they prepared to replace pipes that collapsed late Monday afternoon.

“They’ve had some nice weather, and they have had a chance to keep working at it,” Lewiston police Lt. Don Mailhot said. “As long as the rain holds off, they can keep at it.”

The four lanes of Lisbon Street from Androscoggin Avenue to Adams Avenue have been closed since Monday night, when a small hole in the street grew into a large one. The official cause of the problem has not been revealed, although recent rains may have hastened the destruction of underground pipes more than 100 years old.

“You’re talking about very old piping, and a lot of water going through it,” Mailhot said.