How Hot is Shanghai? Elevated Roads Deform Due to Extreme Heat

How Hot is Shanghai? Elevated Roads Deform Due to Extreme Heat

How can anyone living in Shanghai explain just how hot it gets here? Well, when the roads start resembling roller coaster tracks, you know it's not just hot—it's cook-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk hot. This July, as temperatures soared past the unbearable 38°C mark, even the city's robust elevated roads couldn't stand the heat, literally bending under the pressure.

On the afternoon of July 7th, residents near the Siping Road exit of Shanghai's Inner Ring Elevated Road reported noticeable deformations in the roadway, making driving conditions distinctly bumpy. Dashcam footage from around 4:38 PM on the same day showed vehicles experiencing significant bumps as they drove over the raised sections of the road.

By the morning of July 8th, after overnight repairs, the road surface was restored to a smooth condition, according to a report from The Paper. An official from the Tunnel Share City Operation Elevated Company, Wang Xiaquan, explained the cause of the deformation.

Since July, Shanghai has experienced continuous extreme temperatures above 38°C, posing significant challenges to urban infrastructure maintenance, especially affecting the safety of elevated roads. The primary issue has been the arching of road surfaces, mainly due to the prolonged high temperatures causing the expansion of the steel rebar within the concrete paving layer. This expansion and the resultant deformation of the steel lead to concentrated internal stresses, causing the road surface to arch.

To date, four instances of such arching have been identified and promptly addressed on the city's rapid road network. The response involved 128 personnel deployments and 40 vehicle operations, with no traffic accidents reported due to the road deformations. In response to the heatwave, the project team has initiated daily water-spraying operations to cool the road surfaces, utilizing 10 water trucks operating continuously around the clock.

Wang Xiaquan stated that the next steps would include strengthening inspection efforts and enhancing preventive maintenance and management to ensure the safe and orderly functioning of the city's roads. He asked for the public's understanding and cooperation with the inconveniences caused by the emergency repairs and to follow the traffic directions provided at the site.

Source: The Paper

Pic: Knews

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