Road Damage caused by heat

[berberry]

Lane closures were imposed this morning on I-44 in Oklahoma City due to pavement buckling in the unrelenting heat.  I think this is something we're likely to see more of if current forecasts hold.

[JREwing78]

It's pretty common in southern Wisconsin. Tons of older concrete-surfaced highways baking in the sun here, so buckling is almost routine.

[berberry]

It's pretty common in southern Wisconsin. Tons of older concrete-surfaced highways baking in the sun here, so buckling is almost routine.

It isn't exactly rare here in Mississippi, either.  But it's usually secondary routes, not interstate highways, that are affected.  That's what I thought was remarkable about it, else I wouldn't have posted it.

I suppose it's possible that buckling on interstate highways might have indeed been more common in Wisconsin than in the Deep South, or even in Oklahoma for that matter.  Long-lasting heatwaves are probably about as common here as blizzards are in your state.  They don't happen every year, but no one has to think very hard to remember the last one.  Consequently, our best-built highways are no doubt constructed with more concern for extreme heat, while I should think yours are likely built with concern for extreme cold.

I'm not a highway engineer, though, so I'm really just making assumptions here.

[apeman33]

Sometime last week, the pavement buckled on I-44 northeast of Tulsa to the point where a motorcycle rider got tossed several hundred feet when he hit it.

[Stephane Dumas]

A bit off-topic since it's another area, but the heatwave also hit one New York City street
http://jalopnik.com/5823637/new-yorks-streets-are-actually-melting

[Brian556]

Here in North Texas, it has been extremely dry and hot. This has been causing alot of damage to local roads. it my nieghborhood, one street has several spots that have sunk signifigantly.

On the I-35E frontage rd, there is a concrete barrier  that has moved itself out of alignment in several places by as much as 12 inches, and it is now jutting out into a traffic lane.

On the ramp from SB I-35E to EB President George Bush Turnpike, a section of bridge has dropped at one end, causing a signifigant bump.

[golden eagle]

That's pretty common here in the south. I haven't heard of any incidents of road damage here in MS this summer, but it doesn't mean it didn't happen.

[PAHighways]

There is always some route around Philadelphia that suffers heaving during extreme heat events.

US 422 buckled this past May, and I-76/Schuylkill Expressway buckled a week later.

[JREwing78]

It's been happening quite frequently on southern Wisconsin highways. There's a lot of older concrete highways around here. Combine that with record heat, and you have buckling galore.

[jeffandnicole]

There is always some route around Philadelphia that suffers heaving during extreme heat events.

US 422 buckled this past May, and I-76/Schuylkill Expressway buckled a week later.

In the Northeast, it generally doesn't get very hot for very long.  In general, the area gets into the 90's (there were two 100 degree days this year). Buckling concrete seems to be always confined to the Philadelphia highways. 

So...why is that?  Is it due to the way those roads were built?  NJ, DE, MD, VA, NY, and other Northeast states don't appear to have the issues Philly roads have.  We can understand Texas having issues when they go several weeks straight with temps in the 100 degree range.  Philly rarely goes more than 5 days straight with temps in the 90s. 

[1995hoo]

I recall last year there was some problem with heat-caused buckling on southbound I-395 in Virginia near the Shirlington Circle, but that's about the only time I remember that sort of thing here. I DO remember back in July of 1999 when we had a couple of days at around 100°F I felt my shoes sinking into the pavement on K Street in downtown DC when I crossed the street at midday (at the time, the firm where I worked still required traditional business attire even on the hottest days of summer).

Supposedly the Texas heat is a major reason the US Grand Prix in Austin next year has been moved to November. The last time F1 attempted a summertime race in Texas was during July 1984 in Fair Park and the circuit was falling apart before the race even began (track temperature was measured at over 150°F).

[rawmustard]

A portion of southbound I-69 just north of I-94 buckled in June. Other than that, I haven't really heard of any other highways around here which have buckled, especially during July's heat wave.

[us175]

Not only is heat a problem in north TX, but the soil.  It's a black clay that cracks as it dries.  Some roads crack in the summertime if they don't buckle; not only roads, but buildings have foundation issues because of it.  If you listen to Dallas radio ads for very long, you will hear some for companies that promise to fix your foundation problems.  I've also heard of several water line/water main breaks that have damaged and closed streets there as well.

[Desert Man]

Yes, global warming is slowly...surely occurring in our lifetimes, but the heat wave is one of the worst recorded (in the USA). First it was 100-110F in southern and central Cal. in late June, then the western half of the country had under 100F/25C temps in middle of July and now we're back in high temps. at least sans humidity (none, a "dry" heat). The heat index is infuriarated by humidity: for example, last month: Dayton OH had 105F but the heat index indicated it feels like 134F outside! Meanwhile in Palm Desert CA at 110F though feels like 104F! What a difference.

[hm insulators]

I can understand roads melting or buckling in places like Minnesota or Pennsylvania during unusual heat waves; they're not used to such extreme heat in the north. But I've always thought it bizarre that roads in Texas, for example, buckle because of intense heat; I wonder why they don't use a more heat-resistant paving material or something. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (high of 114 yesterday at the official weather station at the airport) and I never hear of streets and highways buckling or failing here because of the heat. Maybe road engineers in Texas and other southern states need to take notes from ADOT.

[roadfro]

^ There's many factors that could be at play when discussing road damage and heat. Pavement materials and construction could be one factor. Climate is another. Base soil yet another.

It's not a simple cut-and-paste solution of a pavement that works for one state will work for another. Heck, even NDOT has different mix designs for different areas of the state due to climate and soils.

[jjakucyk]

Exactly, what works in the heat of Arizona could just as well cause problems with ice and snow and the many freeze-thaw cycles in more northern climates. 

[PAHighways]

NJ, DE, MD, VA, NY, and other Northeast states don't appear to have the issues Philly roads have.

Even other parts of Pennsylvania do not have that issue.