The Ohio Department of Transportation is watching Ohio roads for pavement buckling as a days-long heatwave settles in, with the agency warning that the problem could show up later this week. Matt Bruning, an ODOT spokesman, said drivers should be alert for sudden changes in the roadway and report any buckled pavement by calling #677.
The timing matters because the heat is still building. Bruning said buckling is more likely after a couple of days in the lower mid-90s and maybe even the upper 90s, which is why ODOT is keeping a close eye on conditions now rather than waiting for trouble to appear.
Roads buckle after repeated intense heat expands the material in the pavement. When there is no more room for that roadway to move, it can lift and warp. Bruning said the age of the road, how hot it gets and how much traffic is using it all affect when a buckle forms, but he said there is no one part of Ohio that is more likely than another to see it.
That is the part that makes the warning hard to pin down. ODOT can watch for the risk statewide, but Bruning said buckling could happen anywhere in Ohio where long periods of intense heat settle in. Past heat waves have also passed without any buckled roads, while cooler days have sometimes produced them, which leaves the agency monitoring for a problem that does not always follow the thermometer in a neat line.
The department is also adjusting for the holiday weekend, removing orange barrels where it can to help traffic move more smoothly. That is not possible on major work, including the Interstates 70 and 71 project through downtown Columbus, where crews will have to keep the setup in place. For drivers, the immediate lesson is simple: watch the pavement, and if the road lifts, call #677 right away.
