Dumpster Driving: An entire dumpster in the middle of I-270 causes confusion, delays

Friday afternoon traffic is nothing new for Columbus residents, but many drivers likely received a bit more than they bargained for on June 18, after an entire dumpster ended up in the middle of the highway.

According to one driver, who wished to remain anonymous, they encountered a RA & HEZ dumpster taking up several lanes at 4:25 p.m. last Friday.

“[It was a] massive slowdown, people slamming on their brakes. I’m used to that around rush hour but this was weird as people were diverting to the left and right of the highway. I figured I’d see a ‘fresh’ accident or something, but nope, dumpster,” the driver told 614Now.

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According to an Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) representative, Columbus Police were able to move the dumpster out of travel lanes, and it was later removed from the scene by a tow truck. In the case of larger amount of dirt or debris end up in roadways, ODOT will send plow trucks to remove material, the representative said.

It’s not entirely clear how a dumpster ended up in the middle of a busy highway, but as is typically the case, the r/Columbus subreddit had some ideas. 

Several commenter noted that an item which appears to be a frayed winch cable–which is typically used to secure large loads to a trailer–is visible in front of the dumpster. If this failed or broke, it could have caused the dumpster to, well, get dumped. Thankfully, there were no reported injuries or vehicle damage from the incident.

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