I-65 travelers are noticing something different along the state’s interstates, including I-65, this spring.
On March 31, workers in road crew vests were working along the side of I-65 between the U.S. 31 interchange near Taylorsville and State Road 232 near Edinburgh, picking up garbage and debris.
By the time the sun went down that day, the crews were gone. However, large bags of trash could be seen all along the outer shoulders of I-65 waiting to be picked up.
Those doing the actual cleanup last weekend were employees of a contractor hired by the Indiana Department of Transportation to pick up debris between the two interchanges, INDOT spokesman Scott Manning said.
“What folks in Columbus saw represents a seismic shift in how we are approaching highway maintenance,” Manning said.
Up until this spring, INDOT used their own employees to clean up roadside debris, but that method proved to be both expensive and inefficient, Manning said.
“Our responses were customer-driven, meaning it was only after we received a complaint about a specific area that we would send out a crew to pick up the trash,” Manning said.
This year, state transportation officials are “taking a far more aggressive attack” in handling the litter problem by allocating $30 million more for trash pickup along Indiana interstates, Manning said.
While March 31 was the first day that contracted workers cleaned up between Columbus and Edinburgh, Manning say those crews will return to the same areas four more times this year to keep the litter problem from getting out of control.
In addition, workers have been hired to cut the grass along interstates and major highways three times a year, instead of the two mowing sessions they receive each year, he said.
It’s all part of an investment to improve the appearances of the most traveled highways in Indiana, Manning said.
A total of $57 million is being spent to clean and mow along the state’s highways this year. That’s a 200 percent increase of what was invested last year, Manning said.
Instead of working along interstates, INDOT employees will be join volunteers to clean up two-lane roads with lower traffic volumes, he said. Those volunteers include individuals, organizations, businesses and active Adopt-a-Highway groups.
“For many, keeping roads clean that go past their building or through their neighborhoods is a point of personal pride,” Manning said. “We rely on these groups to maintain the smaller highways by picking up the garbage and debris that has accumulated over the winter.”
These groups, as well as the “Sponsor-a-Highway” participants, also include families, church groups, Boy Scout troops and service clubs, Manning said.
Volunteers and road crew members will work together during INDOT’s annual “Trash Bash” planned for April 15 to April 30.
This 15-day schedule is different from last year, when Trash Bash was a three-day weekend, resulting in the collection of 3,457 bags of trash.
On April 15, INDOT maintenance staff across the state will take a day away from their everyday tasks of maintaining the roads, bridges and roadsides to focus on litter collection.
Volunteers can either join them that day, or pick another day before the end of the month to clean up a specific roadside area. All trash bagged by volunteers will be collected and disposed of by INDOT crews.
Motorists are reminded to be on the lookout for work crews and volunteers along Indiana highways for the rest of the month, Manning said.
When drivers encounter a work crew, they should slow down, be alert for changing traffic patterns and avoid distractions such as cell phones while driving, Manning said.
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Those who contact the Indiana Department of Transportation to volunteer for the Trash Bash from April 15-30 will receive:
- An assigned cleanup location
- A briefing on roadside safety
- Safety vests to be worn at all times
- Trash bags
If you or your group wishes to help, you can either contact the Indiana Department of Transportation by phone at 1-855-463-6848 or by email at [email protected]
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