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IDOT Tries to Beat the Heat
It may not be as much of a problem today as it was, say, at the start of the week, most of last week, and the week before that, but building roads can be a dangerous business this time of year.

I-DOT district four engineer Bill Lewis says when temperatures are as oppressive as they were earlier in the week, road construction crews essentially have to just work through it, and make sure they're properly hydrated -- like crews working on the ongoing I-74 project in Galesburg have had to do.

But Lewis tells the WGIL Morning News that's not the only concern in the heat like that.

"It can have an effect on the materials, the concrete in the hot weather like that there are some precautions that have to be taken to keep the temperature of the concrete at a usable temperature," Lewis says. "As it heats up like that there are other things we have to do such as using ice in the concrete itself to cool the temperatures down so we could use it at the temperature we need."

Lewis says the same can't be said for asphalt. He says it's better to work with asphalt in hot conditions than cold, since it needs to be placed while at a hot temperature.

The I-74 work is expected to continue the rest of the summer.
08 03 11 by Newsroom
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