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In addition to providing the Arizona Department of Transportation with information about traffic conditions, the highway cameras throughout the state also capture some things you might not expect to see on the open road.
From weird weather to strange items dumped on the highway, to odd crashes, and more, check out our picks for the top 20 photos captured by the cameras this year:
(Note: Follow the Arizona Department of Transportation on Twitter to see the newest traffic photos, in almost real-time, plus other traffic updates.)
20.) Perfectly placed crash
A lot of the good stuff happens outside the camera’s view, or from afar. Not this one.
19.) Mattress
Nap time.
18.) Fog
Taken out near Winslow.
17.) Thanksgiving traffic
Near Sky Harbor airport.
16.) A bit of a fire
Fire near Loop 202 Red Mountain.
15.) Flooding
Obviously not from a traffic camera, but that’s quite some flooding off the I-17 and Greenway.
14.) The little car that couldn’t
Also on I-17, during the same flooding as the previous photo.
13.) Who says people in Phoenix can’t drive in the rain?
Everyone.
12.) Aluminum cans
Less successful than the Seinfeld aluminum can scheme in “The Bottle Deposit.”
11.) Tree in the slow lane
If a tree falls on the Loop 101 . . .
10.) Dust
I-10 and Elliot Road
9.) A bit of a lake in the tunnel
Not a planned water feature in the I-10 tunnel.
8.) Red planet
From U.S. 60 and McClintock Drive.
7.) Watermelons
Not the ideal place to dump an 18-wheeler full o’ fruit.
6.) Sofa
Sofa king dangerous!
5.) Fruit fire
Not only did this guy lose a load of mangoes, they’re also being grilled by his truck.
4.) Mud
So, Arizona’s mudslides are a little milder than California’s.
3.) “Snow” in Scottsdale
This technically was “graupel,” which is not snow, but looks a lot like it.
2.) Grill
Just like in the commercials.
1.) Half a highway
This wasn’t captured by a highway camera, but it’s by far the wildest photo from ADOT this year, taken on U.S. 89, in northern Arizona.
