WEST BEND, Wis. – The extreme heat is posing a risk to drivers after multiple areas have reported a rise in road buckling.

According to Erik Lyngdal, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s (WisDOT) chief materials and pavements engineer, 53 road buckling events have been reported across the state since Friday, June 20. In 2024, there were 66 total road buckling events the entire year.

“Half or more in one weekend compared to what you’d get for an entire year,” Lyngdal said.

According to WisDOT, pavement can buckle when the weather quickly goes from cool to very hot. This causes slabs of pavement to expand and push against one another. If the pressure becomes great enough, the pavement can buckle and create unexpected bumps or dips.

In West Bend, city crews say W. Washington Street near Silverbrook Drive is down to one lane as crews have been working all afternoon Monday, June 23, to remove the expanded concrete.

“This is a little extreme that we have five in a few days,” said Neumann.

They aren’t the only ones working around the clock. In West Allis, Assistant City Engineer Robert Hutter said they became aware of a road buckling event near 92nd and Cleveland.

This is the first one I remember buckling in decades. I’ve been with the city for 22 years; I don’t remember this happening. So, it’s a very rare occurrence,” Hutter said.

With wind gusts up to 40 miles per hour, southeastern Wisconsinites were left without power on the hottest weekend of the year.

“Keep in mind, when it was 100 degrees in the heat index, it was 100 degrees for our crews. They were working 16 hours throughout the heat,” said We Energies spokesperson Brendan Conway. “Just with our service territory, we restored power to about 28,000, 30,000 customers from the strong winds that really blew on Saturday into Sunday."

Conway says during extreme heat, if you’re left without power, find a cooling center near you.

“Go somewhere. Call 211. There’s resources available across the community,” said Conway.

While it’s difficult to predict if or where buckling may occur, WisDOT offers these tips:

• Slow down, buckle up and focus your full attention on the roadway.
• Watch for slowing traffic and be ready to move over for all roadside workers, including highway crews as they repair damaged pavement.
• Before your trip, check the 511 Travel Information System (511wi.gov) for the latest on any incidents or delays.
• If necessary, report serious pavement issues by calling 911. Be ready to provide specific location information.

“Pay attention to the road surface when you’re driving during these hot summer days,” said Neumann.