GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) is reminding motorists to be alert of pavement buckles as hot temperatures continue over the next several days.
Heat causes pavement to expand. But if that heat comes quickly and stays for long enough, issues can arise.
“We see a lot of pavement buckles when temperatures spike rapidly for a prolonged period of time,” said DOT Northeast Region Maintenance Supervisor, Matt Ternes. “Our concrete pavements are meant to expand and contract, but after two, three, four days of the prolonged heat and moisture, that really adds to the some of the effects of the expansion of the concrete…Sometimes it expands too much and at that point, the stresses in the concrete cause it to actually buckle. Sometimes it buckles up, sometimes the buckles down.”
Running over a severe pavement buckle can be very dangerous, and damaging to your vehicle. Ternes suggests for drivers to slow down, buckle up, and eliminate all distractions.
He says while you’re driving, your attention should really be focused on your driving and watching for slowing traffic in front of you.
“When folks encounter serious pavement issues, they should immediately be calling 911. Emergency responders can get proper traffic control in place and get the county crews out there to perform any repairs that we need on the highways,” Ternes told WTAQ News. “If there’s minor potholes or pavement buckles that folks encounter, they can call the county highway department directly and they can investigate.”
As for handling situations where your vehicle is damaged by a pavement buckle, there’s not much you can do.
“We do get a lot of questions on damage to their vehicles, about running over pavement buckles. But the state nor the county is liable for damage to vehicles, and what we tell folks is that they should contact their insurance company,” Ternes said.
Watch for slowing traffic and be ready to move over for all roadside workers, including highway crews as they repair damaged pavement.
Before your trip, check 511wi.gov for the latest information on any incidents or delays. Live video feeds are now available via the 511 Wisconsin traffic cameras.
