As cities nationwide get hotter, addressing extreme temperatures and their effects on roads, bridges and rail is becoming a priority.
The pavement in Phoenix was at times this summer hot enough to fry an egg on. Just this past weekend, the Arizona capital reached a record 55th day of temperatures above 110 degrees. It has been the hottest and driest summer on record. But if an approach to create “cool pavements” works, not only won’t it be possible to cook an egg on the city’s roadways anymore, but those roadways also won’t be as likely to buckle in the extreme heat.
Cool pavements is just one of a number of approaches that David Hondula, director of Phoenix’s Office of Heat Response and Mitigation, is testing in an effort to address the impact high temperatures are having on the city’s transportation systems. Hondula testified Wednesday before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that he wants those approaches to be models for other local governments.
“All across the country, local governments like ours have begun to recognize that there are serious deficiencies in planning for, mitigating and managing extreme heat,” he said.
Route Fifty
By Kery Murakami,
Senior Reporter
SEP 14, 2023