Siemers drive repairs underway after viral road buckle sends car airborne

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI) — A stretch of Siemers Drive in Cape Girardeau is undergoing permanent repairs today after a major roadway buckle sent a car airborne and shocked drivers across the nation.

Cape Girardeau Public Works Director Casey Brunke said crews responded immediately when the significant street heave appeared, installing a temporary patch before contractors started working on a long term fix.

“On Siemers Drive, we had a pretty significant street heave,” Brunke said. “We came in right away after it happened to put a temporary patch, but the contractor is out doing the permanent fix today.”

Video of the damaged road went viral after it showed a car launching off the buckle. Drivers like Alex Million said they couldn’t believe it happened so close to home.

“I thought it was nuts,” Million said. “It’s not every day that you see a car literally go flying, or a road pop up like that.”

Brunke said while smaller street heaves are common during the summer heat, the damage on Siemers Drive was unusual.

“Personally, I had not seen a heave quite so significant,” she said. “Every summer we’ll have a heave here or there. We have some other smaller ones around town, some that happened at the same time, some since then, just with the hot weather. But certainly none as significant as what we saw on Siemers.”

Crews are also repairing other minor buckles around the city.

While the repairs are not overly complicated, Brunke said the biggest challenge is managing traffic around the construction.

“The patch is in,” Brunke said. “It’s basically ripping out the concrete that heaved up, putting new material back in, maybe grading if needed, then putting the permanent concrete or asphalt back on top.”

Despite concerns about road conditions, drivers say they have little choice but to keep going.

“Recently I’ve been doing DoorDash, so I drive all the time and it is a bit concerning,” Million said. “But people are still going to drive. We have to.”

Brunke asked drivers to stay alert and slow down around construction zones while crews work to reopen the street, aiming to reopen by the Fourth of July weekend.

“We just ask everybody to please use caution when going down Siemers,” she said. “Watch for workers, please drive slow, that’s part of the process to put the street back.”