More road buckling is possible as temperatures climb
Jun 6, 2024, 7:00 PM
Footage from UDOT traffic shows a buckling road on northbound I-15 at 9050 South Thursday afternoon. (UDOT)
(UDOT)
SALT LAKE CITY — Temperatures are expected to reach well into the 90s this week along the Wasatch Front, bringing in some road buckling.
Officials say that could spell danger for Utah drivers.
John Gleason with the Utah Department of Transportation said road buckling usually pops up in the early summer.
“Our crews are always on the ready, they’re always ready to respond,” Gleason said. “Even last night, they were out there in minutes and worked through the overnight into the early hours of the morning to get that road reopened again.”
UDOT closed northbound lanes of I-15 that lead to the I-215 south belt in Midvale Wednesday night, after road buckling.
Gleason said that buckling impacted all the northbound lanes.
It took crews until 6 a.m. Thursday to re-open the road.
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Unfortunately, Gleason isn’t able to predict exactly when and where buckling will happen. But it typically affects older concrete, especially where debris and rocks have gone in between the concrete slabs.
Gleason describes it looks like crumbling concrete.
“If you see concrete crumbling around a certain area, call 911, because it can be quickly an emergency,” Gleason said.
