Hundreds of vehicles waited 45 minutes and some motorists repaired flat tires Dec. 9 along a 15-mile stretch of highway near Louisville, KY, while workers swept away an estimated 50,000 sharp-edged screws that had spilled onto the highway.

Police spokesman Steve Pavey told Land Line Magazine no accidents or injuries were reported. However, the interstate was shut down in both directions while state workers cleaned up the northbound lanes. Many SUVs, pickups and cars had flat tires, but no tractor-trailers were affected, Pavey said.

Police still don't know the source of the 1-inch-long screws that spilled along I-65. The screws were first noticed at 5:45 a.m. EST and tires were still going flat by 8 a.m., he said. Authorities estimate about 50,000 screws were dumped on the interstate.

"They have a very sharp end,'' Pavey said of the self-tapping sheet-metal screws.

Vehicles were stopped along a 15-mile stretch of the highway in the Lebanon Junction area, about 20 miles south of downtown Louisville, Pavey said. Meanwhile, a dispatcher told The Associated Press at least 80 calls were received from motorists.