Photo courtesy of Accuweather

We’re currently experiencing the extreme heat of July and it’s likely to stay this way for some time, which creates an issue people might not think about until they see it: road buckling.

As many may be aware, a big buckle occurred earlier this week on Highway 169 south of Adel, which disrupted traffic due to the severity of it. Dallas County Engineer Al Miller says road buckling is something road crews have to deal with every year, though luckily that means they have it down to a science on how to fix the issues quickly, as was the case with the Iowa Department of Transportation fixing the highway in a few hours. Miller says buckling results when extreme heat causes asphalt and concrete to expand, and it cracks on itself at its weakest point.

Unfortunately, he adds that they’re never sure when or where it will occur, so they rely heavily on the travelling public to alert them. “You know, those road buckling issues can happen very quickly, and at any time. So I would encourage anybody out travelling Dallas County that if anybody sees the pavement starting to buckle like that, please give the Secondary Road Department a call and we will get on it as quickly as we can.”

Miller notes that there so far hasn’t been any cases of road buckling on county roads, though he emphasizes his crews are always ready to pounce on them should the need arise. To hear more from Miller, listen to today’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program on air and at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.