Providence Road in northern Columbia is open again after heat caused it to ‘buckle’
Keriana Gamboa
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The City of Columbia’s Public Works Department has completed repairs on a road buckle.
Crews worked to pave over the damaged area of North Providence Road near near Big Bear Boulevard. As of 4 p.m. Tuesday,, the road was back open and safe for drivers.
The extreme heat causes road materials to expand, which can lead to what’s known as a road buckle, a sudden rise or crack in the pavement that can pose a serious hazard to drivers. Christopher Jackson, a City of Columbia Street Department Supervisor, was working on Providence Road today.
“The heat, this pressure builds up underneath the ground and expands it up and usually explodes the concrete…whether it’s old concrete or new concrete, it’s bound to buckle. If it gets the right ingredients that it needs, it’ll buckle if it has to, ” Jackson said.
Across Missouri, multiple road buckles have been reported in recent weeks. In Columbia, city road crews say they’ve already responded to several cases as temperatures continue to rise.
“So far, this is the first major one that we had to fix. We have one other one over on the east side of town that we got to go fix in the neighborhood,” Jackson said.
City of Columbia Public Works Department spokesperson John Ogan said there is no way of telling where a road buckle could happen.
“There’s really no way to predict where or when a road buckle will happen. It generally happens on hot days like we’ve been having, but it could happen really on any road,” Ogan said.
City and state officials said drivers should stay alert for road buckles as they continue to appear across the area. They advise motorists to slow down, pull over safely if needed, and report any buckles as soon as possible.
The Missouri Department of Transportation warns that ongoing temperature fluctuations could lead to an increase in road buckles. Crews on the ground say they are preparing for more cases as summer temperatures continue to climb.
Those who see any possible new road buckles should call the city’s Department of Public Works. MoDOT should be called for state roads.