With a new ADOT contractor struggling to play catch up, drivers could see litter piled up against a fence and in the grassy area of an onramp to the 202 near Highway 87 in Mesa, just east of Scottsdale.
(David Minton/Staff Photographer)
Michael Forney drives all over the East Valley with his Mesa-based delivery service.In mid-November, as his holiday business picked up, he noticed something not being picked up: highway litter.
“I’ve seen a lot of trash, especially between Stapley and Gilbert roads along the (U.S.) 60,” he said, referring to a stretch of highway near the Mesa-Gilbert border.“And I noticed trash about a week ago on the 101,” the owner of Christmas To Your Door said.“It’s definitely a problem.”Steve Elliott, an Arizona Department of Transportation spokesman, confirmed Forney was not seeing things.Many other motorists have complained about trash along East Valley highways.
In mid-November, trash built up on the US 60/202 interchange near Mesa and Gilbert. After a previous contractor suddenly quit, ADOT hired a new contractor to tackle the problem.
(ADOT)
Some wondered if Arizona was headed down the path of its western neighbor, where budget cuts led to California highways getting pretty trashy.“It never was a California-sized disaster,” Elliott said, “but people noticed.”The reason for the trashed sides of highways and on-ramps?“ADOT’s previous contractor handling litter cleanup along East Valley freeways ceased work unexpectedly in early September,” Elliott said.This, he added, resulted in “litter building up along East Valley freeways while ADOT expedited the process needed to engage a new contractor.”The previous contractor, Anderson Enterprises, which had been doing ADOT trash pickup since 2020, dropped its trash bags and walked away.“They said they couldn’t sustain work on the contract scheduled to last until December,” Elliott said.“Our maintenance staff did their best to deal with litter in the interim,” Elliott said, “but we aren’t staffed to do regular litter pickups, hence (we) normally do this through a contractor.”Enter Reyes and Sons.But the new contractor didn’t start until Nov. 7 – and has been playing catch up on pick-up since, Elliott said.
“The 101 through Scottsdale was the first (stretch) we were doing,” the ADOT spokesman added.Elliott said the new contractor “so far has picked up along Loop 101 from Scottsdale Road all the way to Loop 202 Santan and along US 60 from I-10 into east Mesa.”Last week, Reyes and Sons moved on to “cleaning along the Loop 202 starting with the Santan Freeway and moving counterclockwise to finish with Loop 202 Red Mountain through Mesa, Tempe and Phoenix,” according to Elliott. After the “pick-up catch-up,” the new contractor “will be on the normal cadence of litter pickups we’ve had in the past for East Valley freeways,” Elliott said.“We appreciate the public’s patience during this time.”Adopt a Highway?Elliott said the East Valley freeways are too busy – and potentially dangerous – for “Adopt a Highway” programs and other volunteers to pick up trash.He said volunteers take care of litter in “areas with less traffic.”
Julio Cesar from new ADOT contractor Reyes and Sons Landscaping collects trash along the eastbound lanes of U.S. 60 near South Lindsey Road near the Mesa/Gilbert border.
(David Minton/Staff Photographer)
For information on volunteer opportunities or sponsoring litter pick up, visit azdot.gov/business/programs-and-partnerships/adopt-highway.The ADOT spokesman also gave a pitch for everyone to volunteer – by not making a mess in the first place.“That litter doesn’t get there on its own,” Elliott noted. “We would appreciate it if people could not litter or take steps where litter doesn’t blow out of windows or the back of pickup trucks.”The biggest offenders: Cigarette butts, soft drink containers and water bottles.Not the best way to welcome holiday visitors.“Freeways are the first impression of our state,” Elliott said.“In the Phoenix area, the Maricopa Association of Governments provides about $5.05 million for ADOT to contract for highway cleanups.”As Don’t Trash Arizona, a joint MAG/ADOT program, challenges:“We wouldn’t trash our home. So why do we trash our roadways? Every year, more than 1 million pounds of litter is picked up from Valley freeways—that’s just way too much!”To report litter – or a terrible trasher – visit azdot.gov/contact-us.
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