ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis area is experiencing its first round of triple-digit heat, and it’s already causing issues on the roads. A picture taken by the Kansas Department of Transportation last week shows a section of I-70, near Ellsworth County, Kansas, buckled from the heat. This could very well happen here in St. Louis. So, I spoke to MoDOT on what causes this, and how it’s fixed.
MoDOT says the cracks in the road are all thanks to the heat. As temperatures increase into the 90s and 100s in the bi-state area, the extreme heat may cause the pavement to buckle or warp. MoDOT tells us this happens because the roadway surface expands at a crack or joint where moisture has seeped in. The crack weakens the pavement, and the heat causes the pavement to buckle and warp.
MoDOT says it never truly knows when or where a pavement buckle may occur, but when it gets this hot outside, there is potential everywhere. Thankfully there haven’t been any MoDOT St. Louis roads impacted by buckled pavement yet. To fix buckled roads MoDOT will make temporary or emergency repairs to accommodate traffic. The broken and buckled pavement section will be removed, filling the area with temporary patching materials.
If motorists come across a section of pavement that has buckled, pull over when it is safe to do so, and give MoDOT a call at 1-888-ask-modot (275-6636).