GREENE COUNTY, Mo. (KY3) – MoDOT crews are scheduled to make repairs Wednesday to a buckled stretch of Highway 160 in Willard between Farm Road 76 and Route AB. The buckling affects both eastbound and westbound lanes and has been temporarily patched.
What causes road buckling
State roads and interstates are designed to expand and contract as temperatures change. District Maintenance Engineer Jimmy Shannon said prolonged heat can cause pavement to expand, and problems can develop when moisture and debris reduce the space the pavement has to move.
“We design our pavement so that there’s room for that pavement to expand and contract as it heats up and cools down,” Shannon said. But as pavement ages, “moisture getting in there can kind of close those gaps and not really give that a good place to go and expand.”
When that happens, Shannon said, the built-up pressure can force the pavement upward, creating an uneven surface that crews may need to address quickly.
Recent buckles reported across Missouri
A road buckle was also reported on Highway 100 near St. Louis following the Fourth of July. The Doolittle Rural Fire Protection District posted warnings on Facebook about issues on westbound I-44 in Phelps County…