Oxford Street, which closed to cars March 24 due to safety concerns about deteriorating pipes under the asphalt, will probably be reopened in three weeks, according to Interim City Engineer Owen C. O'Riordan.

City crews will begin work on temporary sewer construction in the middle of next week, and he expects the job to take a week to complete.

This construction will make the street passable to light vehicle in two to three weeks, although fixing the problem permanently will likely take years.

"It's not definite as to when it will open again," he said. "This is just a temporary fix."

A preliminary design for storm line and sewers in the Agassiz area, which extends between Oxford and Kirkland Streets as far as Beacon Street, is expected within three months.

Crews plan to break the area into a series of contract jobs that O'Riordan said would take at least three years to finish completely.

During this period, the roads will close on and off with permanent restrictions against heavy vehicles, O'Riordan said.

The closure has forced Harvard Shuttle Services to redirect routes from its Science Center stop and has caused problems with Science Center mail deliveries.

Shuttle services manager Carl A. Tempesta could not be reached for comment about the re-opening's effect on shuttle traffic.