In Germany, due to extreme heat, road workers had to use winter service equipment out of season.
Photo: Bild
In Thuringia, machines that usually operate in winter are now spraying water onto overheated asphalt pavement. This is how authorities are trying to cool the road surface and prevent road closures, as has already happened during previous heatwaves, writes Bild.
The problem is that at high temperatures, the bitumen in the asphalt softens and can rise to the surface. The road becomes sticky, deformations appear on it, and heavy vehicles quickly destroy the pavement. Similar measures are also being tested in other regions, including North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse.
The heat has already led to actual road closures. For example, in Hamburg, due to asphalt damage, a lane of traffic was closed for approximately more than two kilometers, preliminarily until Monday. On old concrete sections, the danger is different — the slabs expand, buckle, and crack.
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