(UNDATED) Cases of highway pavement buckling in Wisconsin have nearly tripled this year compared to last year. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation reported 194 emergency buckling repairs as of the end of July. Nearly half of them happened in the Southwest Region, which includes Dodge, Columbia, Dane, and Jefferson Counties, among others. To compare, there were only 66 road buckling cases in Wisconsin during the same period in 2024.
Transportation officials blame heat, humidity, and temperature changes.
“Pavement buckles occur every year in Wisconsin and many other states when the weather quickly goes from cool to very hot,” according to a WisDOT statement.
WisDOT did a study three years ago that showed buckling is worse in Wisconsin than other states. That study recommended filling transfer joints with sealant or other filling and changing concreting practices in colder weather.
