A damaged water main has torn open a large hole in Grenfell Street this morning, with traffic congestion caused by the repairs expected to last for most of the day.

At around 3:00am this morning the pipe erupted, splitting the road surface and displacing road foundation.

A bus lane has been closed whilst crews work on the water main near the intersection of Grenfell and King William Streets.

Traffic has been restricted to one lane of west-bound traffic whilst repairs are underway.

Power has been cut to one local business.

No property damage in the area has been reported.

Around 15 metres of bitumen will be replaced.

All Water has predicted repairs will be completed by 8:00pm.