Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Buckles a reoccurring problem on highway section
ROSALIA — Hot temperatures caused three buckles on U.S. Highway 195 south of Rosalia on Tuesday, July 8.
According to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), all the ruptures occurred near the Horn School Rest Area.
“The maintenance crews in Area 2, Whitman County and surrounding counties, got a report of the road buckling on U.S. Highway 195 into the Horn School Rest Area,” said Public Information Officer Joe McHale, of the WSDOT Eastern Region office in Spokane.
Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) crews out of Whitman County completely repaired two of the buckles on Tuesday, July 8.
“The worst buckle will be fully repaired when the weather cools down, however, temporary repairs were made to allow safe travel along the roadway. They jack-hammered out the cracked concrete and poured asphalt over to repair it,” said McHale.
According to McHale, WSDOT received reports of the first buckling at 8:30 a.m. at MP 60.5. The buckling was identified in the center turn lane.
The second report was received at 2:30 p.m. at MP 60.1 in the northbound lane on US 195. By 5:30 p.m., the third report was received of a large buckling in the southbound lane, measuring about a foot in length, also at MP 60.1.
“They all happened within half a mile of each other just south of Rosalia. They made the repairs they needed to make. The third was pretty significant,” said McHale.
According to McHale, this is a common problem in extreme heat.
According to the National Weather Service, the temperature reached 100 degrees by 12:51 p.m. on Tuesday, July 9.
“Concrete can expand and contract. The road temps were around 120 to 125 degrees,” he said. “This has happened in the past along this roadway. The heat caused the panels to expand and then buckle. There is no predictability of where road bucking will happen. It did happen last year, it happened this year. It’s the age of the roadway.”
By Wednesday, July 10, WSDOT sent crews to monitor the stretch of roadway and observe roadway temperatures.
“Our crews spent the entire day driving that section of roadway to monitor it and take roadway temperatures,” said McHale. “Kudos to our maintenance crews out there who were able to respond quickly and make the repairs in a reasonable amount of time. They were out there in triple-degree temperatures.”
The highway in the Rosalia area also buckled last August and in July of 2021.
“It is not uncommon in this area,” said McHale.
Drivers on the roadways are asked to report any buckling on the roadways to WSDOT. Reports can be made via phone call to (509) 324-6000.
“Report it and just slow down. If it is safe to maneuver, change lanes. Whether it is a pothole or debris or collision, just be aware. Do not drive distracted,” said McHale.
Olivia Harnack is a Journalist at the Whitman County Gazette. Olivia is enrolled at University of Idaho and is majoring in digital film studies. She serves in the United States Army National Guard and is proud to serve Whitman County.
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