With extreme heat, we can’t build roads and railways as we used to

Roads and airport runways buckling. Train tracks warping. Bridges swelling. These are just some of the damaging effects extreme heat has had on critical infrastructure in recent years, as heat waves have become more frequent and intense — a stark reminder, experts say, of the need to adjust quickly to a warming planet.

For roadways that use concrete, expansion caused by unusually hot weather can be a major problem. These thoroughfares are paved with slabs and designed with space in between to account for expansion (when it’s hot) or contraction (when it’s cold), said Steve Muench, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Washington. But when temperatures are much higher than usual and if improper maintenance has lead to debris getting into the spaces, the slabs can run out of room to expand, eventually causing “concrete pavement blowups or buckling,” he said.