Hot Weather Literally Melting Highway 2 to Leavenworth

The asphalt between Monroe and Gold Bar west of Leavenworth is has been literally melting in the unseasonally-high temperatures.

Asphalt is made by mixing rock with petroleum products. If asphalt gets too hot and heavily used at the same time (like by people trying to escape the heat in the Cascade mountains!) the pounding tires can actually cause the oil and rock to separate. The oil floats to the top, the rock settles, and the asphalt cracks and creates holes.

Traditionally "chip seal" is done as a quick fix. That's like spreading on an asphalt patch over 8 miles of highway.

But it didn't work on U.S. 2, so road crews will have to replace the roads over the next several weeks.