West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) work crews are making repairs to a section of cracked asphalt on an approach slab to the Goff Mountain overpass bridge over Interstate 64 in Cross Lanes.
Crews milled out cracked asphalt on a section of the approach on the morning of Friday, December 20, 2024, and were repaving the section of road. Traffic was flowing smoothly as repairs were being made.
The approach slab to the bridge is made of concrete topped with asphalt. Joe Pack, P.E., WVDOH Chief Engineer of Operations, said recent cold weather, followed by temperatures approaching 60 degrees Fahrenheit, followed by heavy rains, caused the earth to soften and shift under the bridge approach, leading to cracking of the concrete slab.
“That is typical, unfortunately, for this time of year,” Pack said. “The earth and concrete don’t like significant temperature changes when it’s 30 or 40 degrees, which can make the earth shift.
“Asphalt is flexible,” Pack said. “Concrete is not.”
Pack said repaving the section of road will provide a smooth ride for motorists until permanent repairs can be made in the spring.