RALEIGH ¬- The N.C. Department of Transportation has closed the left lane of U.S. 52 South at Akron Drive in Winston-Salem to make emergency repairs to concrete that buckled due to the extreme heat over the weekend. High temperatures caused the concrete to swell, and as the concrete slabs pushed together, the surface of the highway broke apart.

NCDOT shut down the left lane of U.S. 52 South at 9 a.m. and is currently cutting out the damaged section of the roadway. Once that section has been removed, crews will fill it in with new concrete. The concrete requires 8-12 hours to harden. After that occurs, NCDOT will reopen the left lane to traffic, which is expected to happen by 6 a.m. Tuesday, July 10, weather permitting.

NCDOT plans to conduct the same work on the right lane of U.S. 52 South tomorrow.

The right lane of U.S. 52 South is currently open to traffic. Motorists who drive over the area where the concrete buckled will experience a bump. The department has positioned signs ahead of the damaged concrete to warn drivers about the bump.

To ensure safety, NCDOT encourages motorists to go slow and pay attention as they travel through the work zone.

For real-time travel information at any time, call 511, visit www.ncdot.gov/travel or follow NCDOT on Twitter at www.ncdot.gov/travel/twitter. Another option is NCDOT Mobile, a phone-friendly version of the NCDOT website. To access it, type "m.ncdot.gov" into the browser of your smartphone. Then, bookmark it to save for future reference. NCDOT Mobile is compatible with the iPhone, Android and some newer Blackberry phones.