Northwest Iowa — With the high temperatures we’ve been having and those that are forecast for this week, some spots in some northwest Iowa roadways have become hazards.
On Sunday, a pavement buckling incident occurred south of Sioux Center. The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office sent out an advisory message about the issue just before 4:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon and advised motorists to drive with caution, especially in that area.
We talked with Dakin Schultz with the Iowa Department of Transportation, who tells us that when these events happen, they are a priority for DOT crews, so they fix them as soon as they are able. But Schultz says there could easily be more. He tells us how this happens.
And when that happens, it’s a hazard for motorists, as they can do damage to your vehicle or cause you to lose control and maybe even have an accident.
We asked him if this happens on concrete or asphalt roads.
Schultz says these buckling incidents should be reported to the authorities. He suggests calling the area DOT offices, but you can also call the sheriff’s office’s non-emergency number, or even 911 if you don’t have the other numbers handy. Schultz says in our area, there are four DOT offices, and you can just call the nearest one. The numbers are 712-472-3719 for the Rock Rapids area, 712-724-6211 for the Ashton area, 712-756-8814 for the Alton area, and 712-336-2112 for the Spirit Lake area.
