Extreme heat is damaging America's transportation infrastructure

Record heat in summer 2024 is straining America’s infrastructure, causing issues like stuck bridges and buckling roads, and disrupting transportation systems.

Suyun Paul Ham writes for The Conversation.


In short:

  • The Third Avenue Bridge in New York jammed after metal expansion caused by heat, and roads in Washington and Wisconsin have buckled, disrupting traffic.
  • Amtrak and other rail systems face delays due to heat-induced rail expansion, which can cause derailments and safety hazards.
  • Engineers are using innovative solutions, including heat-resistant materials and advanced monitoring systems, to address these challenges.

Key quote:

“Like human bodies, infrastructure needs to be maintained from the beginning to reduce costs and increase the potential for effective rehabilitation.”

— Suyun Paul Ham, associate professor of civil engineering, University of Texas at Arlington

Why this matters:

As climate change intensifies, extreme weather events will increasingly threaten aging infrastructure, leading to safety hazards and costly disruptions. Effective engineering solutions and timely maintenance are vital to enhance the resilience of critical transportation networks.

About the author(s):

EHN Curators
EHN Curators
Articles curated and summarized by the Environmental Health News' curation team. Some AI-based tools helped produce this text, with human oversight, fact checking and editing.

You Might Also Like

Recent

Top environmental health news from around the world.

Environmental Health News

Your support of EHN, a newsroom powered by Environmental Health Sciences, drives science into public discussions. When you support our work, you support impactful journalism. It all improves the health of our communities. Thank you!

donate