NORTHEAST OHIO — The extreme heat we have seen the last few days in Northeast Ohio has really taken a toll on some roads.
In Independence, repairs are underway to fix a portion of Route 21 southbound, right in front of the Tavern of Independence. The road is currently down to one lane in each direction. It's due to the buckling of the road.
Video shows the road lifted creating what looks like a huge hump. Some large cracks are also starting to form due to the damage.
Donald Ramm, City Engineer of Independence, told News 5 he was alerted to the problem on Sunday. They coned off the area to begin making repairs.
Ramm said they investigated whether there were any broken utilities below because water main breaks tend to cause pavement to rise, but he stated that there were no underground utilities in this area. This leads him to believe heat may be to blame.
"We just believe it was excessive heat that cause the heave," he said. "We don't see it a lot, but on occasion we have seen it."
Ramm said crews have already begun replacing the brick and asphalt that's heaved with the concrete. The road is expected to reopen fully to traffic in about a day. Currently, the city is not aware of any damage to vehicles.
That's not the only issue of heat impacting the roads.
The Ashland County Sheriff's Office said a portion of State Route 60 near U.S. 224 is also closed for emergency road repairs. The road will be closed for approximately three days.
