Improving Large Litter Collection from Paved Surfaces

The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) has over 730 miles of concrete barrier wall with the majority of that being median barrier. The paved shoulders that require litter and sweeping process is over 1,300 miles. ODOT continues to build Ohio's highway system, closing in unpaved medians and adding Smart Lanes which allows for periodic use of paved shoulders as traffic lanes. These projects add more miles of paved shoulder that will require more frequent cleaning and debris removal. When street sweepers are run along barrier walls to clean shoulders, a road crew typically runs in front of them to gather the large debris (e.g., tire treads, lumber, car parts, etc.). Normally it takes at least 2-3 workers in a truck picking up this large litter, then a street sweeper follows. The workers in the lead truck have to constantly stop, get out of the vehicle, pick up the debris, place it in the truck bed, get back into the truck, and then pull forward to the next large piece of debris. All of this is followed by a crash attenuator truck for safety purposes. Altogether, this process utilizes 4-5 workers and 3 pieces of equipment starting and stopping on busy freeways. When not doing a full street sweeping operation, there is still the crew of 2 to 3 staff in a pickup truck that have to constantly stop, get out, pick up, get back in and repeat as they move along the road. Variations in this process may occur across the state. Previous studies have looked at litter collection but have typically focused on all forms of litter and collecting it from roadsides, under guardrails, throughout grass infields, etc. These studies did not include detailed time studies in order to compare various processes and equipment. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this research is to determine the best method(s) for providing safe, efficient and cost-effective ways to pick up/collect large litter and debris from paved shoulders and under guardrail.

• Record URL:
  • https://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/Planning/SPR/Research/reportsandplans/Lists/Final%20Reports%20All/Item/displayifs.aspx?List=47f3581d%2Df21c%2D403b%2D9358%2Dfea0b008772b&ID=825&Source=https%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Edot%2Estate%2Eoh%2Eus%2FDivisions%2FPlanning%2FSPR%2FResearch%2Freportsandplans%2FLists%2FFinal%2520Reports%2520All%2FAllItems%2Easpx%3FuseFiltersInViewXml%3D1%26FilterField1%3DCategories%26FilterValue1%3DMaintenance%26FilterType1%3DMultiChoice%26FilterField2%3DResearch%255Fx0020%255FOrganization%26FilterValue2%3DThe%2520Ohio%2520State%2520University%26FilterType2%3DChoice%26FilterField3%3DList%255Fx0020%255FCategori%26FilterValue3%3DActive%26FilterType3%3DChoice&ContentTypeId=0x0100BD006C89430C884FB603A74E63BB6849&RootFolder=%2FDivisions%2FPlanning%2FSPR%2FResearch%2Freportsandplans%2FLists%2FFinal%20Reports%20All

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $651,793.97
• Contract Numbers:

  42937

  136995

  123388

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Ohio Department of Transportation

  Research Program
  1980 West Broad Street
  Columbus, OH  United States  43223
• Project Managers:

  Bristow, Christina

• Performing Organizations:

  Ohio State University

  Columbus, OH  United States 
• Principal Investigators:

  Winston, Ryan J

• Start Date: 20260114
• Expected Completion Date: 20280114
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Guardrails; Litter; Paved shoulders; Sweepers
• Identifier Terms: Ohio Department of Transportation
• Geographic Terms: Ohio
• Subject Areas: Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01975572
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Ohio Department of Transportation
• Contract Numbers: 42937, 136995, 123388
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Dec 31 2025 1:44PM