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It’s so hot, roads are buckling, they’re putting foil on a bridge and roofs are melting

The city of Chongqing has been under a red alert due to the heat.

The deadly heat waves of the last week have sparked strange infrastructural events around the world as millions endure searing temperatures that are still on the rise.
The heat-related events also speak to aging infrastructures worldwide, most of which — roads, bridges, railroads, buildings — are not prepared for the sweltering conditions as of late.

So how hot has it been, exactly? Well…

The United Kingdom saw its hottest day on record Tuesday, when temperatures breached 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

It’s been so hot that a runway at London Luton Airport on the capital’s outskirts had to be closed off as it melted in the heat.

“Flights are temporarily suspended to allow for an essential runway repair after high surface temperatures caused a small section to lift,” the airport tweeted Monday.
Heat causes materials to expand and crack when temperatures rise, according to the Pennsylvania State University College of Engineering — concrete and asphalt, found on runways and roads, are no exception.

It’s so hot, a museum roof melted in China

A heat wave has now engulfed half of China, affecting more than 900 million people — or about 64% of the population. All but two northeastern provinces in China have issued high-temperature warnings, with 84 cities issuing their highest-level red alerts last week.

In the city of Chongqing, which has also been under a red alert, the heat led to the roof of the Forbidden City Cultural Relics Museum melting.

The heat dissolved the underlying tar, causing the traditional Chinese tiles to pop off.

It’s so hot, they’re wrapping a London bridge in foil

The Hammersmith Bridge in London, built in 1887, was closed to all users in August 2020 due to cracks in the pedestals after a heat wave.

The Hammersmith Bridge in London can now be seen with silver foil around it because of the country’s heat wave.

You might wonder why foil, and if that would attract more heat — it’s actually part of a cooling system designed to reflect sunlight and keep the bridge at a moderate temperature so its materials don’t expand and crack.

“Engineers are working round the clock to keep 135-year-old Hammersmith Bridge open during the extreme hot spell,” a news release from the Hammersmith and Fulham Council read.

The council hired world-class engineers to cover the bridge with a “£420,000 ($503,000) temperature control system to keep the bridge at a safe temperature and alleviate any stresses on the pedestals.”

“It effectively acts as a giant air conditioning unit on each of the four pedestal chains,” the council’s release said.

The bridge actually had to close in August 2020 when a…

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