I could feel the heat coming off it when I stood next to the repaved section. They didn't repave the parking area at the edge. Opened to traffic again, seems firm enough to drive on at 160⁰F.
Fluke camera?
this post was submitted on 06 May 2026
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Topdon. I had Flir before and like this much better. For one thing, they don't watermark my images.
F-f-f-fluke.....
Just wait until it get twice as hot this summer.
Asphalt is laid somewhere around 300F, so if it truly got twice as hot it would melt the road and everyone’s tires.
I bet you're fun to have a conversation with.
Op get data!
160F = 71C for the freedom challenged among us.
Seems crazy hot to open up for traffic tho.
They can’t walk
Hmm, that's interesting. Don't you guys generally use concrete for paving in the US? In building construction, you're supposed to give concrete like a month to fully harden, even though it already looks firm after a day or so.
For paving, they're likely using a hardening accelerator, so the timelines wouldn't be the same, but if building construction is anything to go by, it seems like you'd want to give it as much time as possible, not send cars on there while it's still hot. 🥴
Even with accelerators it still needs a few days (usually about a week) to harden to 80% strength, and it will never be quite as strong as it would be without an accelerator.
I think that’s part of the reason we don’t use concrete pavement more often. It certainly lasts a lot longer, but laying it is way more time consuming. Asphalt is ready to go within a day, just needs to cool off.
Generally? I don't think so. I think concrete gets used in heavy intersections, super busy streets, and some parts of highways/freeways, but not for all the branching streets. Smaller/less used roads and residential are generally pavement/asphalt. Though some HOAs like to use concrete for the longer expected lifespan and then don't budget for repairs so it turns to crap after a while. That said, I'm not a professional, I just live here. Not in an HOA, thankfully, but near one with terrible concrete roads.
Its uncommon to see concrete roads in the US but there are a few of them around. That being said it could be more common in some states than others.
Arent the majority of your freeways concrete?
Structure is concrete, road surface is asphalt.
For all freeways are all asphalt? Thats not correct Cali for a start has been moving to concrete.
Concrete is used for the top layer for higher load areas were budget and the foundations can support it as its more inflexible. Asphalt is used as its cheaper (initially, it will need renewing more often) and it will support more movement for the foundations and worse weather.
We (UK) had part of the M25 done in the same style, but it was shit as we cut the budget and its lots of small joined sections due to complexities of using larger slabs. The foundation has since moved about and the gaps get bigger.
As a kid I burned the bottom of my foot (enough to cause blistering) on fresh blacktop in Palm Springs. They had just opened the repaved parking lot in the full SoCal summer heat when we pulled in to go to the bank. I took 2 steps: the first adhered my flip-flip firmly to the asphalt and the second took my foot out of said flip-flop and landed it right on crazy hot and sticky surface.
Even though this article says that tire rubber starts to break down and melt between 100⁰C to 150⁰C, depending on the rubber compound, I'd still prefer to protect my tires from such high temperatures..
https://thetirereviews.com/is-it-true-tires-can-melt-because-of-heat/
Edit: Those temperatures are also rather dangerous for electric vehicle batteries, which are located right under the vehicle in very close proximity to the road heat.
Unless you have a Nissan Leaf or an UpMiiGo your battery has some sort of active cooling.
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Geez I hope they put up no pet signs. Would hate for someone to let their dog walk on this.
Since summer is coming in many parts of the world, I'll include a psa about asphalt temps being well above air temps. Good chance if you are enough of a nerd to be on Lemmy you have a laser thermo probe somewhere. Consider bringing on your walk and checking some pavement temps. Avoid walking dog if >115f 46C
I just touch the pavement with my hands every time the road surface changes. If I can't hold it there comfortably for a few seconds my dog is not going on it.
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Neat, you can also see where people's tyres have absorbed some of the heat.
Lol, no. Tires momentarily contacting hot asphalt while rolling on it will not significantly lower the surface temperature of hot asphalt. The road paving process produces T⁰ unevenness while spreading asphalt ... notably because of flow of asphal from the uneven T⁰ in truck loads waiting typically 1 hour before being dumped ... then carateristincs of flow in the paving machine ... and ... civil ing. ... whatever.
Doesn't explain the pattern.
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