A large container of oil that fell off a trailer spilled this morning on Clinton Parkway near Iowa Street, causing a mess and disrupting traffic at one of the city’s busiest intersections, according to Lawrence police.

Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical were still out at the site trying to clean it up during the noon hour, but a private contractor would probably be brought in to finish the job, said Lawrence Police Capt. David Cobb.

The “huge oil spill” happened around 10:30 a.m., when a 500-gallon oil container slid out of a trailer door as the vehicle pulling it made a right turn from Iowa Street, going west onto Clinton Parkway, Cobb said.

Cobb said the driver apparently forgot to shut the door on the lowboy trailer. And when he made the right-hand turn, the container rolled out the door and spilled, Cobb said.

Cobb estimated that about 250 gallons of oil ended up on the roadway.