Contracted Expansion Joints
A good day to ride.
Concrete is such a solid material that the idea of it moving or flowing is kind of hard to imagine. Except it does move.
When bridges are built they are designed with gaps between the bridge and the abutment it rests on. That way, in the summer when it gets hot there is room for the concrete and metal to expand with the heat. In the winter it contracts with the cold.
This is winter. All the expansion joints on bridges and in concrete roads have contracted. That leaves gaps in places, sometimes really big gaps. If you’re on a motorcycle at this time of year, watch out!
I’m talking about this now because last week when I was out on the V-Strom I was seeing gaping expansion joints everywhere. Head out southeast on Parker Road and they’re all over the place. And some of them look like they’re just waiting to trap my front tire into the groove, with possibly very bad results.
The thing is, paving roads is not an exact science. Most expansion gaps are small enough that they are no problem. But some are a lot bigger.
I think the first time I started noticing these large joints was on I-225 where it runs into I-70. As you get off onto the lane that feeds onto eastbound I-70 you really need to watch out. But then the other day I was coming up Monarch Boulevard, which becomes Quebec, from Daniels Park and they were all over down there. Some that must have been two inches wide. That’s certainly enough to channel a wheel in a direction you don’t necessarily want to go.
Nothing we can do about it. Just pay attention and stay alert. And cross those babies at as sharp an angle as you can.
Biker Quote for Today
A biker’s heart beats to the rhythm of the engine.
Tags: expansion joints
