Extreme heat this past week has caused pavement buckles on roadways across the state, closing down lanes and posing a serious risk to drivers.
A pavement buckle occurs when temperatures quickly rise from cool to very hot. Cool temperatures in this sense do not mean cold, but cool in comparison to extremely hot temperatures. The heat causes the slabs of pavement to expand and push against each other, resulting in bumps or dips in the road.
There have been multiple pavement buckles occurring throughout the heat advisory, which has been in effect in the Green Bay area since July 13.
“Last I heard crews were working on seven or eight of them” on July 15, said Mark Kantola, Wisconsin Department of Transportation communication manager in the northeast region.
Kontola said pavement buckles could be a “blow up” of a foot of concert. He said these occurrences can be a real issue during extreme heat, especially on highways where people are traveling at least 70 mph.
Driving over a pavement buckle can pose a serious risk to drivers.
While it is difficult to predict where or when a buckle would occur, Kontola said there are multiple ways for drivers to be cautious.
The departments website states:
The rest of the week’s forecast shows a drop in temperatures with highs forecast of 86 on July 16, and 90 on July 17. A decrease in pavement buckles is expected when temperatures cool off.
Kantola said it is always important to keep your eyes on the roa,d but when when pavement buckling is a possibility, it is critical to not drive distracted.
“If they look down and they look at two lines of text, they’re covering the length of a football field without seeing anything in front of them,” Kantola said. “So even if you were looking down for a moment, you can miss that buckle in front of you.”
Kathryn Byrnes is a reporter for the Green Bay Press-Gazette. You can reach her at kbyrnes@gannett.com or 920-431-8526.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Extreme heat causes pavement buckles across northeastern Wisconsin
Reporting by Kathryn Byrnes, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
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By Kathryn Byrnes, Green Bay Press-Gazette | USA TODAY Network
