Road Clean-up

Road Clean-up

Costs Thousands

Highway crews are completing a massive spring cleanup along Virginia's roadsides, trying to get a step ahead of the litter problem that cost taxpayers more than a halfmillion dollars last year. April 23 — that's the target date for completing spring cleaning of the 50,000-mile highway network.

Completion of these activities will coincide with the opening of Virginia's Garden Week, and generally with the beginning of the travel season. Wray said that the emphasis is on a general cleanup of roadsides, including rest areas, waysides and picnic table areas; cleaning or washing signs, signposts, delineators and guard posts, and, where necessary, repainting or replacing sign posts and guard rail posts. In addition, freshly painted barrels are being provided for trash disposal at all picnic areas. But while aesthetics are important, the cleanup also has major safety meaning, Wray noted. For example, clean delineators and signs, and •sharp" pavement markings can help prevent accidents during night driving. In the 1964-65 fiscal year, for example, the Department spent $588,298 on clearing litter — a $93,000 increase from the previous year. And while conditions improve in some areas of Virginia, they grow more severe in others. One place where they have improved is a section of Route 626 in Fauquier county. A year ago, highway crews collected 1,789 discarded bottles and cans. In similar cleanup just completed on the same stretch of road, the qount was 584. Last year, litter costs in Virginia counties ranged from $498 in Craig to $98j747 in Fairfax.

The total cost for the State was enough to develop more than a mile of primary arterial road, or to build a half-mile of interstate highway or as much as 10 miles of secondary roads. To help free this money for other needed construction or