ODOT video shows scary crash on 670 as drivers use closed lane

A driver crashed into a vehicle that was stopped in the closed SmartLane on I-670 eastbound around 6 a.m. Aug. 3

A video from ODOT of the crash shows a vehicle pulled into the emergency breakdown lane, which at times functions as the SmartLane. Two additional vehicles are shown driving in the closed SmartLane. One quickly changes lanes prior to reaching the stopped vehicle, the other hits.

A person standing in front of the stopped car with their hands raised leaps out of the way to narrowly avoid the vehicles.

The SmartLane, a system which allows the existing shoulder to be used as a additional lane during high congestion periods, is only open to drivers when traffic warrants it. In a post on X, ODOT spokesman Matt Bruning shared the video and

said the SmartLane is first and foremost an emergency breakdown shoulder.

Bruning said the SmartLane was closed to drivers at the time of the crash.

The SmartLane on I-670 is first and foremost an emergency breakdown shoulder and only opened when traffic conditions warrant it and only after it has been cleared of any vehicles or debris. There are MULTIPLE signs showing when it is open and when it is closed. Pay attention! pic.twitter.com/ZRlD9vEifY

— Matt Bruning (@mbruning81) August 3, 2026

The green arrows on the digital sign above the I-670 SmartLane indicate the lane is open. Red arrows mean the lane is closed.

Following the crash, medics transported one individual to OSU and they are in stable condition, according to the Columbus Division of Police.

Dispatch reporter Ella Diehl can be reached at [e-mail]

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: ODOT video shows scary crash on 670 as drivers use closed lane