Watch where you drive in NJ! Extreme heat is buckling highway pavement every day

🚧 Route 287 buckled just south of where it buckled on Tuesday afternoon

🚧 Two of three lanes reopened on Thursday morning

🚧 NJ DOT will inspect roadway joints to determine other areas that could buckle

PEQUANNOCK — Commuters will feel the impact of the damaged roadway on Route 287 after the heat buckled several portions of the pavement on Tuesday and Wednesday.

After pavement buckled on Tuesday in Morris County, part of the roadway south of Exit 52 (Route 23) in Pequannock also buckled on Wednesday.

Officials said roadway joints expanded in the extreme heat, causing the concrete surface to crumble.

Witnesses told NJ.com they saw vehicles go airborne after they unexpectedly drove over the buckled portions.

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Preventing future buckles

To head off potential future buckling, workers will evaluate a 10 mile stretch of the highway between Exit 57 (Skyline Drive) in Oakland and the Old Lane Bridge over Route 287 in Montville on Thursday, Friday and Monday to make proactive repairs.

Two lanes will be closed to complete the inspection from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and after 9 p.m. on Thursday and Friday.

The northern end of Route 287 between Route 202 in Oakland and the New York Thruway was the highway's "missing link." It utilizes concrete slabs which is less flexible than asphalt making it more susceptible to damage if there is extreme expansion,  DOT spokesman Steve Schapiro told New Jersey 101.5.

"There is a project in design that will repair the concrete pavement on Route 287 in both directions between Exit 47(Route 202) in Montville to the Ramapo River (just north of Exit 58 (Skyline Drive) in Oakland. In addition to concrete repairs, a high-performance thin asphalt overlay will be applied to improve the ride quality and preserve the roadway," Schapiro said.

This project is scheduled to begin construction in 2027.

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