When the pavement buckles: KDOT crews are ready

You often hear the safety phrase, “buckle up and drive safe.” But on a hot summer day, a different type of buckling may occur – pavement buckling - and it can cause safety and travel concerns for motorists.

According to KDOT Safety Director Troy Whitworth, the reason pavement buckles is heat expansion.

“It usually happens at a pavement joint,” Whitworth said. “So, the pavement pushes together at the joint so hard that it lifts and ultimately crumbles. There is simply not enough room for expansion of the pavement.”

Whitworth says he has seen pavement buckle a lot over the years and that it usually happens on concrete pavement. Whenever it happens, KDOT crews respond quickly to repair the highway.

In Late July, north central Kansas crews were called to 

repair a portion of I-70 that had buckled.

In north central Kansas, crews were on the scene to repair buckled pavement on I-70 in late July.

In Late July, north central Kansas crews were called to 

repair a portion of I-70 that had buckled.

Tim Hays, Highway Maintenance Supervisor in Ellsworth, said that it is common with this summer’s heat and moisture for the road to buckle. Water gets under the concrete and then when it heats up, the concrete expands and buckles.

“After getting a phone call that the roadway has buckled, we go out to look at it and see what needs to be done to fix it,” Hays said. “Usually, we get a backhoe and a concrete saw to dig a hole out and fill it back in with asphalt to get the roadway opened back up as quickly as possible.”

If you come across a portion of the highway that’s buckled, call your local KDOT area office. The list can be found here: https://www.ksdot.org/burTrafficEng/KTC/Contacts/KDOTOffices.asp

A portion of I-70 patched after extreme temperatures caused the
concrete surface to buckle. 

Be prepared for the unexpected, wear a seat belt and drive safe.