ROMULUS, Mich. (WXYZ) — Drivers in Romulus can expect a road closure on Van Born and Henry Ruff for the next few weeks after extreme heat caused the pavement to buckle.
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The road suddenly buckled Tuesday night, resembling tectonic plates shifting, as a result of the prolonged heat wave in the area.
"I've never even heard of that, so I'm very surprised," said Marquis Bostic, a driver affected by the closure.
"It's just an inconvenience, you know, but it's Michigan roads. We always have construction going on," Bostic said.
Wayne County officials were caught off guard by the road failure.
"We weren't really expecting anything like this, didn't see any signs of this, so one of the things that just kind of pops up," said Scott Cabauatan, Deputy Director for Wayne County's Department of Public Services.
Cabauatan explained that while heat-related road buckling isn't common, it does happen occasionally.
"It's not too common. We see a couple here and there, maybe a couple a year, just depends on the summer we've had. Now we did have a nice long streak of weather that promotes this kind of event," Cabauatan said.
Repair crews are now working to remove slabs of concrete before leveling the gravel underneath and pouring new concrete. The road will remain closed while the new concrete cures.
In the meantime, drivers are asked to take detours on Michigan Ave and Ecorse Rd.
Wayne County officials expect the repair work to continue for approximately two weeks.
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