Buckle under the heat

Last week’s intense heat bothered more than just people.

Sidewalks along Adams Dairy Parkway expressed their misery, too, by heaving.

“They’ve pushed up against each other,” said Roscoe Righter, director of the Blue Springs Parks and Recreation Department. “They’ve converged to a point.”

In other words, if you find yourself riding a bike along the Adams Dairy Parkway (specifically north of Willow Place), keep an eye out.

“You may get airborne.”

Righter said he was made aware of the situation last week. He’s only seen photographs of the three areas on the east side of the road (the bike trail is on the west side), but he said the sidewalks were affected by the heat.

“Nothing else could have caused this,” he said, adding that the Public Works Department designed and installed the sidewalks. “Basically the sidewalks got hot and because the nights were hot, too, they couldn’t cool down, so they literally expanded and pushed themselves against each other and up out of the ground.”

Jeff Sell, assistant director for engineering, said he was aware of the problem, but said it’s been referred to the Parks Department.

Righter said Monday the city will have to figure out who owns the properties abutting the specific locations.

“They’ll have to figure out whose responsibility it is,” he said.

For now, Righter said the areas have been marked by cones.

“We’re just asking people to keep an eye out,” he said.