Do you ever remember a time when there's been more road construction in and around Sioux Falls?

Now granted, I know we have just officially entered the on-ramp of road construction season, but this summer's road construction projects are off the scale crazy in the Sioux Empire.

Two things you absolutely need right now if you plan on doing any driving in and around Sioux Falls are air conditioning and lots of patience. Because you can expect heat and a ton of delays.

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Why are the roads so bad this year? The extreme heat is one of the main reasons. Once Ma Nature started turning up the temp, a large number of Sioux Falls most well-  traveled streets started coming up.

Whether you choose to call it heaving or buckling, these sweltering summer temperatures are doing a number on our streets right now.

What causes streets to all of a sudden buckle like we've just gone through some sort of mini earthquake? Those in the know say we can attribute it to the heat factor.

Asphalt is considered a flexible pavement. However, it will begin to buckle when air temps go from moderate to extreme heat. Those little cracks in roads and streets begin to expand as temperatures rise, resulting in a mini-mountain in the middle of the street.

Conversely, concrete is a far more rigid material. According to Ardex Building Products, in extreme heat, a concrete slab will also begin to expand due to the great stress being placed on the slab. As the piece of concrete expands, it begins to push against any object in its path. If the object doesn't have the ability to flex, the result ends up being the mess you see on practically every well-traveled Sioux Falls street.

So basically, we have two contributing factors to thank for the condition of our streets at the moment. The usual deterioration that occurs over the cold winter months and the beating the streets are taking right now due to the heatwave we find ourselves under.

I, for one, am just glad I don't have to repair the streets. Especially when the temps begin to resemble the surface of the sun. I don't possess that working in 97-degree weather constitution. I'm a wimp. I admit it.

One thing is for certain, all you construction crew workers have my sincerest respect and gratitude. And a much better tan than I do.

Source: Ardex Building Products

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