Trash troubles piling up

Some Costa Mesa residents are getting annoyed with the amount of trash on local freeways.

They want answers, and Caltrans, the body responsible for keeping the freeways clean, will try to give them what they want tonight at the City Council study session. The presentation was initiated by councilwomen Linda Dixon and Wendy Leece, according to City Manager Allan Roeder.

Mainly, the problem is excessive trash on the 55 Freeway between 19th Street and the junction with the 73 Freeway. But Caltrans has budget limitations that prevent it from constantly cleaning up the freeway, Public Services Director Peter Naghavi said. One of the reasons for the meeting is to allow Caltrans to tell the City Council about its constraints and allow the two bodies to negotiate.

“I drive it almost daily, and it’s just a perpetual problem with great amounts of litter on the 55 Freeway,” Leece said.

She would like to see Caltrans present a solid schedule for routine trash pickup and would also like to see more enforcement of anti-litter laws.

Trash on the sides of the roads makes Costa Mesa less appealing to visitors, Leece said.

In recent months, Caltrans has upped its efforts, according to Naghavi, but if Caltrans cannot provide enough clean up on the highways the city might look for alternatives. One of these alternatives might be the Adopt-a-Highway program, in which local businesses pay Caltrans to do extra cleanup on a stretch of highway in exchange for the business name on a sign.

“I know Caltrans is very limited on its manpower. We have talked about a possible Adopt-a-Highway program,” Naghavi said.

Caltrans will give its presentation at the Neighborhood Community Center in tandem with the OCTA discussion of possibilities for reducing traffic on the 55 Freeway at 4:30 p.m.

ALAN BLANK may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at [email protected].