Summer heat leads to several road buckles

Road maintenance crews from Cole County Public Works, Columbia Public Works and the Missouri Department of Transportation have been battling road buckles this summer.

Much like potholes in the winter, buckles are seasonal and are caused when the temperature gets hot. They are very difficult to predict and can pop up in as little as a few minutes.

Larry Benz, director of Cole County Public Works, as well as spokesmen from the other departments, said roads with concrete tend to be more likely to buckle. They are caused when the road expands in the heat and runs out of room.

“Most of the roads that we have issues with have concrete underneath of them with asphalt override on top, and that’s where we tend to see pavement buckle a little more,” Benz said.

“They expand at different rates. The concrete doesn’t necessarily have the room to be able to expand. Due to the high temperatures, the asphalt on top is a darker color so it absorbs more heat and it causes the concrete to expand.”

Crews use expansion joints when laying roads, but it is not always enough to prevent a buckle.

So far this year, Cole County has seen several heaves on one road, while Columbia and MoDOT have seen a handful of varying sizes.

Buckles, also known as heaves or blowups, occur randomly.

“You know what? It’s kind of like winning the lottery. You just never know where it’s going to hit, so if we could predict it we’d be in a lot better shape, but we cannot. It’s kind of like potholes,” said Jason Shafer, district maintenance engineer for MoDOT.

The only thing drivers can do is look ahead to try to avoid hitting a heave at full speed, Barry Dalton from Columbia Public Works said.

“Best thing to do is apply your brakes, come to a stop if you have to, check to make sure it’s clear and then go around the road buckle as carefully as you can,” Dalton said.

Drivers should use common sense if they come across a road buckle because it can cause damage.

“It can cause front end, alignment issues. In extreme cases, you know, if it’s pretty high, it might even cause them to lose control of the vehicle,” Benz said.

Each area could see more buckles as temperatures continue to rise.

“Because of the rain and heat, it’s certainly possible we could get more,” Dalton said.

Benz said the moisture under the roads caused by flooding in Cole County could also cause more buckles.