Unusual debris sightings on the interstate

[vdeane]

This morning on I-87 south on the NY 5 overpass I saw a box for a toilet in the shoulder.  No idea if the toilet was still in the box.

[jbnv]

Random rolls of toilet paper on the I-55 bridge south of Ponchatoula. I've also seen a boat detached from a motor vehicle on the side of the interstate.

My wife got to see a dead person's body in the middle of I-12 some months ago.

[Zzonkmiles]

This morning on I-87 south on the NY 5 overpass I saw a box for a toilet in the shoulder.  No idea if the toilet was still in the box.

I think you just won this thread! 

[cbeach40]

I have a theory about the shoes.  I've seen enough front seat passengers with their feet hanging out the window as the vehicle is driving along for that to be the source of some of those shoes.  Assuming they are untied or loose-fitting or flip-flops, I can envision one coming off in the 70 mph 'wind' outside the vehicle.

Front seat passengers are nothing.  I once drove for several miles down NY 104 with a car right behind me where the DRIVER had his bare foot out the window!

I once encountered one like that on I-75 near Auburn Hills, MI. Driver of a limo, in full uniform (sans left shoe and sock, of course).

[Pete from Boston]

This morning on I-87 south on the NY 5 overpass I saw a box for a toilet in the shoulder.  No idea if the toilet was still in the box.

Toilets can easily range into several hundreds of dollars, but would be unlikely to survive a fall from any moving vehicle, so it's not hard to see someone abandoning it (and probably hiding the expense in the bill somewhere). 

I have seen countless items on the road right outside a Home Depot where careless loaders had items fly right off their trucks.  Given a quiet enough cab and loud enough engine/radio/passenger, it can be easy to miss something big tumbling away behind you (or so I, um, hear). 

[freebrickproductions]

On Saturday, I saw a bag of cotton on I-565. The back had come open and some of it was on the side of the interstate.

[cbeach40]

Then there's this classic.

[Brandon]

Then there's this classic.

At least they didn't break.  Breakage would've made for some pregnant pauses and a sticky situation.

[hm insulators]

I once saw a full drum set sitting on the shoulder of the 22 freeway.  Nice one too.  Either somebody left it behind, or there was about to be an impromptu concert on the freeway I was unaware of. 

Wish I'da seen that! I used to play the drums. I definitely would have been tempted to pull over onto the shoulder and bash them myself.

In Los Angeles/Orange County, drivers for some stupid reason have absolutely no concept of the idea of using rope, bungee cords, or otherwise securing the load before barreling down the freeway! Stuff is forever dropping, falling or spilling off cars and trucks. My friend Joe, who lives in Tujunga, calls it "having a yard sale." Ladders and mattresses are the two most common items, but plenty of other stuff, such as furniture, surfboards, boxes, wheelbarrows and even at least one kitchen sink (to make things complete) have been dumped onto the freeway. (I've joked that Christmas doesn't officially begin in Los Angeles until somebody drops the first Christmas tree onto the freeway.) The drum kit, though--that's definitely unusual, even by Los Angeles standards.

[hm insulators]

When I lived in Atlanta someone told me you could decorate a house by taking a lap around 285.

I remember KYW in Philadelphia did a radio promo titled something like "Extreme Makeover: Expressway Edition"  which was a compilation of some of the household and home improvement stuff they had actually reported being in the road during traffic updates–like a couch, a load of plywood, a desk, paint cans, kitchen cabinets...

Just like Los Angeles!

[hm insulators]

Then there's this classic.

Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding! We have a winner!

[Bruce]

Well, just yesterday on I-5 in Everett, a concrete mixer truck spilled its load:

Concrete truck crash snarls I-5 traffic near Everett
By KOMO Staff, Aug 25, 2014

EVERETT, Wash. -- A crash of a concrete mixer truck made the southbound commute into Everett morning quite a mess, both literally and figuratively.

The truck blew a tire and rolled over in the southbound lanes of I-5 near Dagmar's, said Trooper Keith Leary with the Washington State Patrol.

No one was hurt in the crash, but all lanes were blocked for a while during the morning commute for the cleanup, causing a backup that extended at least seven miles at the peak.

The roadway reopened for all lanes by late morning.

It managed to create a back-up to Arlington during the morning commute, creating a 41-mile backup when combined with normal Seattle-Everett traffic.

[hbelkins]

Then there's this classic.

Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding! We have a winner!

Gives a whole new meaning to "where (or when) the rubber meets the road."

BTW, when did the term "rubber" go out of vogue? In my youth and young adulthood, no one called them "condoms." We called them "rubbers." And we snickered when anyone used the term "rubber" to describe rain gear.

[Pete from Boston]

Then there's this classic.

Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding! We have a winner!

Gives a whole new meaning to "where (or when) the rubber meets the road."

BTW, when did the term "rubber" go out of vogue? In my youth and young adulthood, no one called them "condoms." We called them "rubbers." And we snickered when anyone used the term "rubber" to describe rain gear.

I think it was when AIDS became a major public health issue and their use became much more heavily publicly promoted (by some, and decried by others).  That's when I remember 'condom' becoming more common than 'rubber.'

[spooky]

Then there's this classic.

Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding! We have a winner!

Gives a whole new meaning to "where (or when) the rubber meets the road."

BTW, when did the term "rubber" go out of vogue? In my youth and young adulthood, no one called them "condoms." We called them "rubbers." And we snickered when anyone used the term "rubber" to describe rain gear.

I think it was when AIDS became a major public health issue and their use became much more heavily publicly promoted (by some, and decried by others).  That's when I remember 'condom' becoming more common than 'rubber.'

Definitely. That's when a condom became something you used to prevent catching a disease, whereas a rubber was something you used to keep from knocking someone up.

[cpzilliacus]

(1) In the middle of the night, a body on a berm on the northbound side of I-95 just prior to the Md. 212 (Powder Mill Road) in Prince George's County.  After a quick call to the State Police, it was determined that the body was alive.

(2) A tank truck load of hot driveway sealant on the Outer Loop I-495 prior to Md. 355/I-270 in Montgomery County, a sticky nasty mess that could not be entirely cleaned-up.

(3) I did not see this one with my own eyes (but I did on TV), but the traffic impacts of this crash in 1999 may have been as epic as I can ever recall, impacting traffic in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia.  A tractor-trailer combination headed north on I-95 through the old Springfield Interchange in Fairfax County, Va. overturned on the old (and pretty sharp) TOTSO ramp.  Problem was that it had a cargo of black powder, and it took close to 24 hours to remediate - the off-load and loading onto other trucks was accomplished by ATF agents. 

[Kacie Jane]

Well, just yesterday on I-5 in Everett, a concrete mixer truck spilled its load:

Well, golly gee, just a few days before a truck tipping in Bellingham....

[Sanctimoniously]

Does this count?

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2007-03-15-chicken-fat-spill_N.htm

It was a long time ago, but I remember this incident well. The traffic was absolutely nightmarish. Took me over an hour to drive two miles to school.

[Bruce]

Well, golly gee, just a few days before a truck tipping in Bellingham....

I-5 in Bellingham has had it pretty rough the last few weeks.

Liquid nitrogen spill shuts down I-5 in Bellingham
BY KIRO RADIO STAFF  on September 22, 2011 @ 8:32 am (Updated: 12:42 pm - 9/22/11 )

All lanes of I-5 were closed in Bellingham at Lakeway Drive Thursday morning after a semi-truck carrying liquid nitrogen overturned.
Not only did road crews have to right the semi-truck, they had to deal with a spill.

"Liquid nitrogen is the same stuff that you would use to pour on your skin to get rid of a wart. It's heavier than air so there's this mist that's spreading out across I-5. It looks really scary, but as soon it dissipates, things should be OK," explained Jamie Holter with the Washington State Department of Transportation.

There are no reports of any injuries.

[Kacie Jane]

I-5 in Bellingham has had it pretty rough the last few weeks.

Liquid nitrogen spill shuts down I-5 in Bellingham
BY KIRO RADIO STAFF  on September 22, 2011 @ 8:32 am (Updated: 12:42 pm - 9/22/11 )

I'm not sure when 153 weeks became a few, but okay. 

(I actually remember this, it happened while I was living right off the Lakeway exit.  I didn't get to see it though -- I was already at work, and I didn't usually take the freeway home (if it wasn't already cleared by then) -- but I do remember several people being late that day and everyone talking about it.)

[Bruce]

I-5 in Bellingham has had it pretty rough the last few weeks.

Liquid nitrogen spill shuts down I-5 in Bellingham
BY KIRO RADIO STAFF  on September 22, 2011 @ 8:32 am (Updated: 12:42 pm - 9/22/11 )

I'm not sure when 153 weeks became a few, but okay. 

(I actually remember this, it happened while I was living right off the Lakeway exit.  I didn't get to see it though -- I was already at work, and I didn't usually take the freeway home (if it wasn't already cleared by then) -- but I do remember several people being late that day and everyone talking about it.)

Not really paying attention, the Sounders are on.