The mayor’s office has issued a statement to residents about the city’s roads and frost heaves. The release explained, “The historically low temperatures being experienced throughout Connecticut for much of the winter, especially the month of February are a direct contributor to both the number and severity of frost heaves on city roads.” The release explained: “Frost heaves are a result of frozen soil swelling beneath the roadway. Water below the surface of the road freezes, as water freezes it expands and also draws more free water to the area. This causes an ice lens that reflects all the way to the surface creating the heave. As temperatures remain low the depth of frost increases and the number of frost heaves will increase because the frost extends deeper into soils that are not free draining, meaning they hold water. This water freezes causing heaving in areas that were not subject to heaving under the milder conditions of previous winters.” The release continued: During these conditions you will also notice areas where it appears that catch basins, manholes, water valves and even some pavement patches appear to settle. In most of these instances, it is not that these structures have settled […]
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