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Sizzling summer heat too much for Vancouver Island sidewalk

Qualicum Beach official said buckling incident ‘unusual and uncommon’
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A sidewalk along Claymore Road in Qualicum Beach has buckled due to extreme heat. (Ian Morton photo)

The early days of summer have already proven too hot for even concrete to handle.

The extreme heat that blanketed much of lower B.C. in a historic heatwave has not only broken records, but also buckled sidewalks.

A photo sent to PQB News showed one such incident on Claymore Road, near Qualicum Beach Elementary School.

The corporate administrator and deputy CAO for the town of Qualicum Beach, Heather Svensen, confirmed the Claymore Road incident was likely caused by the expansion of concrete due to severe heat, and therefore buckled since it had nowhere to go.

READ MORE: Heat wave dubbed ‘dangerous,’ ‘historic,’ bakes much of Western Canada

In an email to PQB News, Svensen stated the circumstances are quite uncommon, and so, does not happen very often in Qualicum.

Expansion joints, which offer stress relief between concrete slabs, are already installed along Claymore Road every two metres, as per standard spacing.

According to Svensen, the area is now marked with spray paint and delineators, and will be repaired by the town as soon as possible.

Residents are encouraged to report any road or sidewalk issues directly to the town of Qualicum Beach, which can be reached by phone at 250-752-6921 or by email at qbtown@qualicumbeach.com

mandy.moraes@pqbnews.com

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Mandy Moraes

About the Author: Mandy Moraes

I joined Black Press Media in 2020 as a multimedia reporter for the Parksville Qualicum Beach News, and transferred to the News Bulletin in 2022
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