Here’s why you should expect delays on a major Pierce County freeway for next 2 weeks
Trashy drivers have been tossing their fast-food wrappers, COVID masks and drink cans along state Route 512 between Parkland and Puyallup for years, and now law abiding drivers are going to have to pay the price.
Beginning Monday, April 18, five miles of highway between the Pacific Avenue and South Meridian exits will have lane closures as crews from the state departments of transportation and ecology remove litter from the center median over the next two weeks.
WSDOT is warning drivers to expect long backups.
“We really need drivers to try to avoid the area because anytime there’s one lane closed on 512 at any given day, we do see backups,” WSDOT spokesperson Cara Mitchell said Friday.
The lane closures will occur daily from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in two-mile increments April 18-20 and April 25-26.
The left-lane closures next to the median are for the protection of cleanup crews, Mitchell said. Route 512 has a high traffic volume moving at high speeds.
The narrow median, with a cable barrier in some areas, has collected a lot of trash, she said.
“This is an area that we get a lot of calls about,” Mitchell said.
Litter prevention
Not all the trash along state highways is flying out of windows. Some gets blown there by the wind.
Other trash comes from unsecured loads — a major focus of the Department of Ecology and the Washington State Patrol this year.
Drivers are reminded to cover and tie down all loads in trucks, trailers and other vehicles.
When roll-down-the-window weather returns, make sure to keep vehicle trash secure so it doesn’t fly away. An in-vehicle trash bag works well.
WSDOT does not have dedicated litter clean-up crews. It maintains the Adopt-a-Highway program and partners with Ecology and other entities to clean up trash.
The Department of Ecology’s last litter study in 2004 showed 18 million pounds of litter accumulated annually along state and community roads. A new study is being conducted this year.
Scofflaws beware: The State Patrol will conduct litter-focused emphasis patrols in June.
Ecology crews
“We dedicate about $5 million to litter pickup programs across the state every year,” said Department of Ecology spokesperson Dave Bennett. “These programs combine to remove between 4-5 million pounds of litter, which only scratches the problem’s surface.”
The department’s adult litter crews began working March 1.
“We have 12 to 14 fully-staffed crews deployed statewide,” Bennett said. “This is the first time in two years we’ve been able to run full crews due to mandatory COVID-19 safety protocols.”
Department of Corrections crews are also being put in place. Hiring Ecology Youth Crew staff has been challenging, he said, but they expect to be fully staffed this year.
Closure schedule
Eastbound state Route 512
▪ Monday, April 18: Pacific Avenue/State Route 7 to Portland Avenue East.
▪ Tuesday, April 19: Woodland Avenue East to state Route 161.
▪ Wednesday, April 20: North Meridian to Benston Drive East.
Westbound state Route 512
▪ Monday, April 25: South Meridian to state Route 161.
▪ Tuesday, April 26: South Fruitland Avenue East to Portland Avenue East.
This story was originally published April 16, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
