Manitoba

Hot weather damages part of Chief Peguis Trail, closing lane to traffic

A city spokesperson said the cracks in the road happened because concrete pavement expands when heated and contracts when cooled.

Median lane west of Henderson Highway expected to stay closed until Wednesday, city says

A stretch of Chief Peguis Trail was damaged by extremely hot weather. Crews were seen excavating in the damaged area on Saturday morning. (Travis Golby/CBC)

Extremely hot temperatures in Winnipeg have caused part of Chief Peguis Trail to crumble, forcing the city to shut down one lane of the northwest road temporarily.

The median lane on a stretch of road west of Henderson Highway is expected to stay closed until Wednesday, the City of Winnipeg said in a tweet.

Drivers should be cautious in the area, the city said.

A city spokesperson said the cracks in the road happened because concrete pavement expands when heated and contracts when cooled.

"When dealing with extreme heat like we have this week, the pavement often doesn't have enough space to expand, so the concrete heaves — sometimes severely," the spokesperson said in an email Saturday.

The heat is expected to continue through the weekend and into next week, with daytime highs forecast to reach the mid-30 C range on Saturday.

Daytime highs for at least the next week are expected to remain around 29 C, according to Environment Canada.

A closer look at the damaged road shows part of the concrete has crumbled into small pieces. (Travis Golby/CBC)

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