Recent wet conditions could lead to buckles in roads

Crews worked Monday to make temporary repairs to a section of road at Stallworth Court and Reedsport Ridge in west Columbia Monday. The road split open from a pavement heave that occurred when water beneath the surface of the road expanded in the extreme heat.

Crews blocked off portions of the road with cones and will make permanent repairs Tuesday, weather permitting.

Barry Dalton, from Columbia Public Works, said drivers could see more of these bumps this summer because of the wet conditions Columbia has had, but there are typically only two or three per year.

Drivers cannot do much more than drive vigilantly to avoid the bumps.

“Statistically speaking it’s unlikely for one to pop right up while you’re driving and to hit it. But it’s not out of the realm of possibility,” Dalton said.

Public Works suggests drivers slow down and stop but do not swerve around the buckles. It said drivers can use their judgment if it is safe to go around the bumps.

“They can happen in minutes or hours, yes. They’re pretty quick,” Dalton said.

Public Works usually fixes the buckles within 24 to 48 hours, and it asks people to report them to the city.