KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Thousands of Northland drivers will need to find detours.
The Missouri Department of Transportation closed the ramp from Pleasant Valley Road to southbound Interstate 35 Wednesday morning.
MoDOT said the pavement there got so hot it exploded.
“This particular pavement blow-up is quite large,” said MoDOT Assistant District Engineer Matt Killion. “We are not used to seeing them as big and requiring this much effort to fix.”
He said they removed the pavement Wednesday and hope to pour concrete Thursday.
Killion said they hope to have the ramp reopened by Friday.
The department said issues like this happen when it gets incredibly hot.
“Fractures occur when roadway surfaces expand at a crack or joint where moisture has seeped in. That crack weakens the pavement, and the heat causes the pavement to buckle and warp, creating holes in the surface,” MoDOT tweeted.
The ramp will remain closed until repairs are complete.