Essex County Warden Gary McNamara says he expects a section of Highway 3 that keeps buckling in the heat will at long last have a solution.
McNamara said at Wednesday's County Council meeting that he is hopeful a tender will be issued by the Ministry of Transportation by the end of the month.
“I'm working closely with our roads department here; they have been in constant contact with MTO," said McNamara. "They have been meeting and having that conversation and finally it looks like we're going to get some action and get that stretch of road fixed.”
The section of highway near Manning Road has buckled six times in the heat since last summer.
McNamara believes the road will buckle again with record breaking heat in the forecast for this weekend.
In an email to CTV Windsor two weeks ago, ministry spokesperson Liane Fisher Bloxam says a ministry investigation determined the need to repair, clean and reseal joints of the problem concrete. There will also be “selective concrete panel repairs” as part of the project.
“Concrete pavements are constructed with joints filled with a rubberized sealant to allow the concrete to expand. Occasionally, under extremely high temperatures and humidity the expansion can be greater than that provided by the joints and the resulting force may cause the concrete to buckle,” said Fisher Bloxam, in a statement. “Buckling may also be exacerbated by sand or debris in the joint.”
The ministry says it works with its contractors to monitor and repair affected joints and pavement as quickly as possible.
McNamara expects the work will be done over the summer to resolve the issue.
