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Portion Of Sequoyah County Highway Buckles In Extreme Heat

VIAN (KFSM) — Sequoyah County maintenance crews said heat is to blame after a portion of Highway 64 west of Vian buckled Sunday (July 24). “There wa...

VIAN (KFSM) -- Sequoyah County maintenance crews said heat is to blame after a portion of Highway 64 west of Vian buckled Sunday (July 24).

"There was a car that came through right before we showed up on location that has kind of ramped over it. I don't know if there was any damage to the vehicle or not," Road Superintendent Billy Jacobs said.

Crews reduced traffic to one lane for most of Monday.

"When we first got here there was a small bump in the roadway probably a foot or so up in the air," Jacobs said. "When we arrived on location one of my employees was standing on the roadway and they heard a loud pop and after that it buckled up another four or five foot higher."

Jacobs explained the extreme heat and moisture under the roadway is responsible for breaking the concrete at its weakest point.

"It just pushes up and pops the concrete when it's this hot out. It has nowhere to go," he said.

The Oklahoma Highway Department is reporting several buckled roads across the region in the last two weeks. A stretch of Highway 69 buckled and a stretch of Highway 75 near Denison, Texas did as well. A dozen vehicles were reported damaged from the buckling on Highway 75.

Jacobs said the phenomenon is unpredictable.

"There's no way for travelers or the public to notice anything like this because it pops up just that quick," Jacobs said.

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