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Buckled pavement slows down Highway 79 north of Old Monroe

MoDOT has not confirmed what caused the buckling but suspected high temperatures could be a factor.
Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
Street barrier with shovel, traffic sign, traffic cone and safety helmet on the road 3D rendering

LINCOLN COUNTY, Mo. — Highway 79 just north of Old Monroe has been temporarily reopened in both directions after it was closed Friday afternoon due to buckled pavement.

The pavement has not been fixed, but officials were allowing cars to drive carefully over the affected area of the road. The road will be shut down again at an unannounced time so that repairs can be made.

A spokesperson for the Missouri Department of Transportation said that at about 3:15 p.m. they received a report of buckled pavement affecting both northbound and southbound lanes.

MoDOT has not confirmed what caused the buckling but suspected high temperatures were a factor.

Lincoln County Sheriff's Department spokesperson Andy Binder said that this stretch of the highway was underwater for a considerable time this summer due to flooding, which may have weakened the concrete and caused it to buckle under the heat. Binder said buckling happened in the same area of the highway last summer.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol has not heard reports of stranded cars or flat tires at this time.

This is a developing story.

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