Washington State Department of Transportation announcement.
PUYALLUP – During the week of April 25, the Washington State Department of Transportation maintenance crews will again close the left lanes on State Route 512 while crews from the Washington State Department of Ecology remove litter from the center median.
The lane closures will occur each day from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in two-mile increments along SR 512 from South Meridian near the state fairgrounds in Puyallup to Portland Avenue East. Crews will also circle back to finish removing litter from eastbound SR 512.
Backups and congestion are expected. Travelers should avoid the area if possible.
The schedule for each location is listed below:
Westbound SR 512
- Monday, April 25: South Meridian to SR 161
- Tuesday, April 26: South Fruitland Avenue East to Portland Avenue East
Eastbound SR 512
- Wednesday, April 27: Golden Given Road East to Portland Avenue East
Prevention is key to reducing litter
Addressing roadside litter requires coordination by many partner agencies including WSDOT and fellow state agencies such as the Department of Ecology. The public also plays a crucial role in preventing litter in the first place. The public should:
- Properly cover and tie down all loads on all trips.
- Keep trash and debris securely gathered in vehicles, so it doesn’t fall or fly out of vehicles.
- Properly dispose of all trash in a vehicle litter bag or in a bin at a destination.
- Share litter prevention messages with family and friends. Visit org and SecureLoadsWA.org for litter prevention tips.
- If able, consider creating an Adopt-a-Highway group to join the valuable volunteers who help clear roadsides and other rights of way.
WSDOT does not have regular, dedicated litter crews, nor the funding to create them. This is why WSDOT maintains the Adopt-a-Highway program and partners with the Department of Ecology and local communities to help address roadside litter.
Real-time travel information is available on WSDOT’s updated travel center map.
When I was a younger thing, we were educated in many things that seem passe today, like litter. Every Litter Bit Hurts – do you remember that? It stuck with me all through the years, and I DO NOT LITTER, EVER! I also walk my dog every day in my neighborhood and pick up my neighbors, and maybe the passers-through my neighborhood, who DO LITTER, A LOT, EVERY DAY. We need to go back to teaching our community that litter is something we should NOT do, not just to be cleaned up when other do it. EVERY LITTER BIT HURTS, you, me, them, everybody!