The New Jersey
Department of Transportation
(NJDOT) launched
several initiatives
to bring a renewed
focus to the important
job of improving
the appearance
of our roadways.
Clean highways
send a message
to residents and
visitors, including
business owners
thinking about
relocating to New
Jersey, that we
are serious about
maintaining a high
quality of life
and are serious
about competing
for jobs.
In August 2010,
NJDOT began
its Clean
Up NJ! campaign.
This campaign continues
to add new components
to help attain
the objective of
cleaner, neater
highways. The components
include:
Deployment
of NJDOT
crews
The campaign started with a new approach
in how NJDOT deploys its work crews.
Throughout the year, NJDOT's maintenance
workers combine forces to attack all
the maintenance needs of specific corridors.
All the needed resources are brought
to a single location, including mowing,
litter, brush-clearing, pothole, guiderail
and graffiti crews, where they attend
to all maintenance needs and make a visual
impact on the location. Crews had not
been deployed in such a fashion in the
past. Under the normal scheduling of
work, specific maintenance needs were
attended to sequentially, meaning that
areas always looked as if they were in
need of some sort of maintenance. |
|
New Jersey Department
of Corrections
(NJDOC) inmates
In Spring 2011,
NJDOT enlisted
the help of the
NJDOC
which provided
ten crews of ten
inmates each to
pick up litter
and perform close-cutting
with weed wackers
near sign posts
and guiderails.
NJDOT and NJDOC
worked together
through the spring
and summer to utilize
inmate labor in
helping clean up
roads. In Spring
2012, an agreement
that duplicates
2011's successful
inter-agency cooperative
effort was attained
with the Department
of Corrections.
Adopt-A-Highway
In Spring 2012,
NJDOT announced
the revival of Adopt-A-Highway,
providing civic
groups and businesses
the opportunity
to volunteer
their time and
effort to keep
stretches of
highways free
of litter.
Sponsor A Highway
NJDOT works with
two private companies
that provide sponsorship opportunities
for groups that
would like to
promote cleanliness
by paying to
have professional
companies pick
up litter along
sections of highways.
Urban
Youth Corps
In Spring 2012, NJDOT initiated a summer Youth
Corps Urban Gateway Enhancement Program that
will award more than $300,000 in federal
funding to ten community organizations
or cities to carry out urban gateway
beautification projects.
| In 2011,
NJDOT's nearly
500 maintenance
workers and
others working
with them picked
up approximately
7 million pounds
of litter and
debris from
our roadways
at an enormous
cost in hours
that could
have been spent
on other important
maintenance
responsibilities
such as mowing,
painting over
graffiti and
clearing debris
from storm-water
drains. |
|
Residents and
motorists can help
the campaign succeed
by putting litter
in its proper place. To report a roadway
maintenance issue,
motorists can call
1.800.POTHOLE or
use the online
Pothole/Highway
Maintanence Reporting form.
