Pavement buckles under extreme heat

HUDSONVILLE, Mich. (WOOD) - Pavement buckled during one of the hottest days West Michigan residents have experienced in years.

The extreme heat caused the pavement to heave during the afternoon rush hour around Ottawa County, backing up traffic.

There were three reports of buckled pavement including the business loop on 104th and two locations on westbound I-196 between Hudsonville and Zeeland.

MDOT said the pavement was reading at 140 degrees and raised 1-foot off the ground due to the heat. Officials with MDOT said the cement under the asphalt got so hot that it heated up the freeway and then found weak spots at the seam of the road ultimately causing it to buckle.

Melting tar patches also left motorists in that same area leaving tire tracks in the soft black top.

MDOT crews were on the scene working on repairing the roads right away. They warn drivers to slow down if they see buckled pavement because it can be very dangerous, especially for motorcyclists.