Texas Highway 69 Buckles Into 2-Foot Ramp, Launching Pickup as Record Heat Strains U.S. Roads
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Aug 20
Texas Highway 69 Buckles Into 2-Foot Ramp, Launching Pickup as Record Heat Strains U.S. Roads
1 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Aug 20
Summary
Late July heat near 100 degrees made U.S. Highway 69 in Greenville, Texas, expand until a pavement joint blew up into a 2-foot ramp; a pickup hit it at about 30 mph and went airborne.
July was the hottest month on record in the contiguous United States, and engineers say such concrete “blowups” surge as heat builds because roads, bridges and rails expand beyond designs built for cooler climates.
Maryland, Louisiana, Wisconsin and Colorado all reported pavement buckles or closures this summer, while a New Jersey lift bridge shut to boat traffic four times after heat warped key components.
Federal and state agencies are now revising standards and testing fixes including climate-based road design, polymer-stiffened or reflective pavement, concrete-slab repairs and slower rail operations during heat waves.