A litter pick up “blitz” led by the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT) will begin Monday and continue through Friday in Anne Arundel County.
MDOT crews will work with Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services inmates between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. to clean up the trash.
Crews are cleaning up the following roads:
- I-695 (Baltimore Beltway) between MD 10 (Arundel Expressway) and MD 648 (Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard)
- I-895 (Harbor Tunnel Thruway) between the Baltimore City and Baltimore County line, including the I-97, I-695 and MD 2 interchanges
- MD 710 (East Ordinance Road) between the Baltimore City line and MD 2
- MD 648 between the Baltimore County line and I-695
- MD 170 (Camp Mead Road/Belle Grove Road) between MD 2 and MD 162 (Aviation Boulevard)
- MD 171 (Church Street) between the Baltimore City line to MD 2
- MD 173 (Fort Smallwood Road) between the Baltimore City line to Tick Neck Road near MD 177 (Mountain Road)
- MD 711 (Arundel Corporation Road)
- MD 10 between I-695 and MD 177
- MD 2 between the Baltimore City line and MD 270 (Furnace Branch Road)
- Cedar Hill Road
“We urge everyone to do their part by securing loads in their vehicles and pitching trash where it belongs, in a trash can rather than along our roadways,” said MDOT Administrator Tim Smith. “Littering costs taxpayers’ dollars to clean up and prevents us from improving safety and mobility on our roadways.”
MDOT said its spent $39 million on litter removal over the past five years.
Safety concerns can result from litter, including the risk of mowing crews being hit by glass, plastic or metal trash. But according to MDOT, the most important impact is how litter pollutes the environment as some trash is carried by stormwater to waterways, including the Chesapeake Bay.
MDOT said it is asking drivers to be aware of crews and possible driving pattern changes during the cleanup.
