​Weeklong Effort to Beautify the State’s Roadways Begins Next Week

(December 3, 2021) – The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) is undertaking an aggressive weeklong litter pick-up blitz beginning Monday, December 6 and continuing to Friday, December 10 in northern Anne Arundel County. MDOT SHA remains committed to keeping our roadways safe and litter-free.    

“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 SHA Administrator Tim Smith. “Littering costs taxpayers’ dollars to clean up and prevents us from improving safety and mobility on our roadways.”   

MDOT SHA litter crews along with Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services inmate crews will work daily from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. on MDOT SHA roads.    

Crews will collect and remove litter from the following roads, including interchange ramps and gore areas:

• 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.   

Over the past five fiscal years, MDOT SHA spent $39 million on litter removal. These expenditures could be used to resurface miles of roads throughout the state, significantly improving ride quality for hundreds of thousands of motorists and greatly improving safety in terms of guardrail upgrades or new installation, crosswalk installations, lighting upgrades and more.    

Litter is a safety hazard in many profound ways. MDOT SHA mowing crews face the risk of striking a glass, plastic or metal litter and sustaining severe injuries as a result. Drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists face high-speed projectiles from litter debris.

Litter also is a major factor in slow or blocked highway drainage, which is the leading cause of dangerous highway flooding.   

Most importantly, littering is extremely harmful to our environment, with trash typically carried by stormwater to streams and rivers, and in some cases entering drinking water reservoirs and the Chesapeake Bay. The cleanliness of our waterways and our Chesapeake Bay is a major part of our identity and reputation.    

MDOT SHA works hard to maintain safe traffic mobility in work zones for motorists, as well as our crews. Drivers should pay extra attention to litter crews during the weeklong sweep. Drivers need to stay alert, focus on driving, be extra vigilant and look for reduced speed limits, and other driving pattern changes.

Motorists can dial #77 on their mobile device for roadside assistance.

For a list of all major MDOT SHA projects, go to Project Portal. Visit our homepage at roads.maryland.gov. For a look at real-time traffic conditions, go to md511.maryland.gov.

Editor’s Note

From intersection improvements to widening and new interchange construction, MDOT SHA is investing in projects to enhance the commute and daily travel for millions of Marylanders.  MDOT SHA maintains more than 2,500 bridges and 17,000 miles of non-toll state roads – the interstate, US and state numbered routes in Maryland’s 23 counties.