LICKING COUNTY, Ohio – A roughly 100-yard stretch of roadway along State Route 668 near Laurel Hill was turned gold after being buried in corn on the afternoon of Nov. 18, creating a wicked mess for cleanup crews, which responded promptly to the spill and worked for three to four hours to clear the area.
“Our street sweepers made quick work of it,” said Chas Cosgrave, public information officer for the Ohio Department of Transportation. ODOT urged drivers to avoid the area during the cleanup, and the road was reopened without incident.
The quick response minimized disruptions, and traffic has since returned to normal. But drivers are advised to proceed with brains, courage and lots of heart… Due to wildlife concerns.
“It would be hard to imagine that that wouldn’t attract wildlife,” Cosgrave said.
The spill, first reported by the Licking County Sheriff’s Office, did not appear to result from a vehicle crash. The exact source of the spill remains under investigation by authorities. The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The incident drew attention on social media for its peculiarity.
“This is a new one for me,” Cosgrave said. “We kind of have a lot of one-offs here. Most recently, we just had a (swimming) pool stuck in our construction zone on Interstate 73.”
Ohio drivers are reminded to move over for any vehicle with flashing lights parked on the side of the road, or to slow down if changing lanes is impossible, to protect first responders, ODOT workers and disabled drivers.
