MnDOT warns motorists to be on the lookout for heat-related pavement buckling
MAPLE GROVE, Minn. -- It's so hot in the Twin Cities, roads are starting to give way. A stretch of a Twin Cities highway buckled Tuesday evening as the region slides into a heat wave.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation says both lanes of eastbound Highway 610 in Maple Grove -- between Interstate 94 and Elm Creek Boulevard -- would be closed for several hours as crews worked on repairing the damaged pavement.
The agency warned motorists to be on the lookout for potential other pavement buckles, and to contact 911 if they encounter one, as MnDOT considers these buckles to be an emergency.
Hot weather = possible pavement buckles 🌡️ With temperatures rising this week, keep an eye out—if you spot a pavement buckle, slow down, change lanes carefully, and call 911 to report it. Pavement buckles are emergencies and we fix them ASAP. Learn more: https://t.co/h12tR6UvaX pic.twitter.com/JY3jRfP4oc
— Minnesota Department of Transportation (@MnDOT) July 25, 2023
MnDOT said this was not the first heat-related instance of pavement buckling this year; there have been several rounds of it happening statewide since the snow melted.
Crews did manage to restore Highway 610 overnight.
Wednesday's high will be 97 in the metro, and Thursday's will also reach 97 with lingering humidity. More storms are possible Thursday night into early Friday. It will also be hot in northern Minnesota Wednesday.
The Twin Cities have had more than two weeks' worth of 90-plus degree days so far this year, and this week could raise that number to 20. In an average year, the metro sees 13 such days. The record was in 1988, when there were 44 days with highs above 90.
The WCCO NEXT Weather team says that thing should start to take a cooling turn back to average for this time of year going into the weekend.