Drivers may have noticed a bumpier ride in some places recently. The summer heat is taking its toll on area roads. An ODOT spokeswoman says you can blame Mother Nature.

District 8’s Kathleen Fuller says asphalt will expand in hot weather, and if the heat lasts, it will push up, creating a little ridge.

“This summer has been so hot, and in long stretches,” she says. “It happens. It’s kind of like potholes. You don’t always know when you’re going to get a pothole. You know kind of what’s going to cause it, but you don’t know when.”

She says the fix is relatively simple.

“Our crews will grind the pavement back down, and depending on how big it is, sometimes they can cut it back out and do what’s called a slot paving,” she says. “Basically, it connects it back. It’s just paving in between

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