The extreme heat caused a concrete section of Interstate 97 in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, to buckle on Friday.
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Near the Brightview Drive overpass, a long section of concrete failed from shoulder to shoulder, with slabs of concrete and rebar thrust upward across all three northbound travel lanes.
“These high temperatures have totally stressed the pavements, both asphalt and concrete,” Charlie Gischlar, spokesperson for the Maryland State Highway Administration, told WTOP. “Asphalt absorbs heat, of course, and you know, heavy vehicles sitting in a right lane at a traffic signal or something can start to have that heave.”
He added that it’ll be an extended closure and recommends drivers take different routes.
“We do have crews on the scene right now, but we do have to do some work on that roadway and some of that involves having some materials put down to fill in where it was stressed and that might take some time to cure,” Gischlar said.
Initially, Maryland Department of Transportation crews allowed northbound traffic to drive through the grass on the median to get around the mound of damaged concrete. Northbound traffic is being diverted to Benfield Boulevard and Veterans Highway.
A second, smaller section of concrete damage was discovered later Friday afternoon in the southbound lanes nearby. Two left lanes were blocked.
During the record-breaking heat wave in July 2012, a section of Route 50 buckled near Bowie.
Unlike asphalt repairs, concrete repairs are more time-consuming and can require extended lane closures. Drivers who normally take I-97 from Annapolis toward Baltimore should plan on possible delays through the holiday weekend.
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