Pavement Buckles from Heat on Highway 20 Near Dyersville

The heat caused a major roadway to buckle in the Dyersville area on Thursday night.

A section of pavement in the eastbound lanes of Highway 20 buckled just east of the Highway 136 interchange on the southeast side of town. The Dyersville Police Department says the buckling led to one accident, though details are still forthcoming.

Crews closed the highway around 6 pm so the issue could be fixed, with traffic rerouted. It reopened about an hour and a half later. 

Highs on Thursday reached into the upper 90’s and concrete pavement expands when temperatures get hot. The DOT says with old pavements, the joints get filled with sand and road grime. But when it gets hot and can not expand, it can break up – suddenly leaving only a rubble pile.

Fortunately, the DOT’s patching contractor was currently working in the area on Highway 20.  Resident Construction Engineer Hugh Holak tells KMCH the DOT worked with them to patch the worst lane. They hope to have a couple guys come in Saturday to uncover the patches and switch the lane closure to the newly patched lane and then patch the other lane on Monday.