12 hours ago
Roads in Lawrence County damaged during heat wave
As the heat wave continues, it is causing damage to roads in Lawrence County.
According to drivers in the county, Route 108 was falling apart. Because of the heat, cars were grabbing the oil and chips and ripping them off the road. In some cases, drivers had to pull over to get it off their cars.
The stretch from Route 19 to New Castle turned into a slog Tuesday as the oil and chipped road turned sloppy.
"It was just a complete mess," Becki Mason said.
According to PennDOT, the heat, mixed with bigger trucks going down the road, created a recipe for the mess.
"Just very nasty looking and clumps. Very bumpy and not pleasant at all," Mason said.
According to Mason, she's seen hot weather make the road sticky before, but never anything to this degree.
"Last year, it got a little sticky towards the stop signs or where a lot of traffic would have been, but it was nothing like this," Mason said.
PennDOT said crews put some aggregate, essentially a sand-like mixture, on the road to prevent more destruction. Crews were out Wednesday laying more aggregate on the route.
Mason noticed that Route 108 was bumpy on Wednesday, but not anywhere near Tuesday.
"It seemed to help a good bit in some of the spots," Mason said.
According to PennDOT, it is figuring out a plan to fix the road.
