By Scott Harvey
– Motorists are probably noticing more damage on the surface within the past couple of months as a result of the extreme heat.
Crews within TxDot's Paris District, encompassing nine area counties, are busier than ever this summer working to repair the effects of thermal expansion, when the heat causes the concrete to expand or grow.
"Sometimes it results in cracks but the worst cases are faulting and that's referred to as a blowout. That's when the expanding pressures of the concrete just break apart and push up," said Trey Turner, public relations officer with TxDot.
He says there's no way to know when or where this may happen, so they just need to monitor all roadways so they know when it's time to issue a repair.
"Usually when this is encountered, maintenance crews have to actually cut out the broken concrete to relieve the pressure that's coming up and then patch it with a hot mix or replace the concrete," Turner said.
He encourages motorists to be cautions of these thermal expansion blowouts and to report anything you think may pose a hazard to other drivers. Turner says another major problem seen during the summer months is what he calls "bleeding."
"That's when I guess the pavement temperature has a softening point. The solid pavement starts to become a liquid. That results in the cars running over the liquid and it kind of pulls up the roadway."
He also says roadways in this extreme heat can reach up to 140-150 degrees and put a severe strain on your tires, which could lead to a blowout. So it's important to check your tire pressure and tread often.
In addition to typical summer road projects, repairs are keeping more crews busy but officials are trying to limit their work to the morning or evening hours and having them take more breaks during the hottest times of the day.