GUTHRIE, Okla. (AP) — Officials had to close part of a bridge in Guthrie after it buckled because of the extreme heat.
Department of Transportation officials shut down Oklahoma Highway 33 near downtown Guthrie Wednesday night and is expected to remain closed Friday afternoon.
Transportation spokeswoman Terri Angier told The Oklahoman two panels expanded at the joint, pushed against each other and came up a few inches on the roadway. She says extreme heat causes older bridges and older pavement to buckle.
According to the Oklahoma Mesonet, the temperature reached 113 degrees on Wednesday and Thursday.
Angier said workers cut out a 10-by-26-foot panel, and they will need to wait for the coolest temperatures — possibly around 3 a.m. to 4 a.m. Friday — to pour the concrete.
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Information from: The Oklahoman, http://www.newsok.com