MIAMI —  Thousands of shoes were dumped on a Miami expressway causing significant traffic delays.

The Florida Highway Patrol received the report during rush hour Friday morning, Lt. Pat Santangelo said. A private contractor brought a front-end loader and a dump truck to the half-mile stretch of highway. Workers were able to clear at least one lane after a short time by sweeping all the shoes to shoulder, but delays were expected to last until all the shoes could be removed.

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Santangelo said the shoes appear to be used, and most were tied together in pairs. He says he's looking for a charity to take the shoes, rather than sending them to the dump.

Santangelo says he's not sure where the shoes came from. There were no signs of a crash, and no one stopped to claim them.