Laying asphalt for the City of Overland Park is 'like working in an oven'

OVERLAND PARK, Kansas - Jeff Hunt typically loses 25 pounds every summer.  He doesn't change his diet or exercise more.  The weight comes off because he lays hot asphalt for the City of Overland Park. 

The asphalt is generally 300 degrees.  So unless there's a breeze in the air or Hunt is driving through a shady street, he feels like he's sitting in an oven all day long.  

Hunt drinks about one-and-a-half quarts of water every day.  He loads up on sunscreen and takes plenty of breaks in the shade.  Hunt also makes sure he and his co-workers look out for each other.  If someone stops sweating or talking, it's time for them to take some time in the shade.

Luckily, in his eight years on the job, no one has ever had heat exhaustion or a heat stroke.

And despite the heat of the job, hunt says he prefers working in the summer than the winter.  At least he doesn't have to plow snow, he says.