Q&AZ: Who is responsible for cleaning up metro Phoenix freeways?

By Bridget Dowd
Published: Monday, November 27, 2023 - 7:05am
Updated: Monday, November 27, 2023 - 7:30am

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South Mountain Loop 202 freeway sign
Arizona Department of Transportation
A sign along the South Mountain portion of the Loop 202 freeway.

Through KJZZ's Q&AZ reporting project, a listener noted a lot of debris along Loop 202 and asked, “Who do we talk to about cleaning it up?”

The Arizona Department of Transportation has hired a new contractor to clean up trash along east Maricopa County freeways, but some areas remain littered.

ADOT spokesman Steve Elliot says things have been improving on Loop 101 and US 60, but Loop 202 still needs work.

“We appreciate the public’s patience as our contractor catches up on the situation," he said. "We can’t be everywhere at once, and the Loop 202 is the last on the list of the freeways that we’re catching up on.”

Elliot said cleanups are not as fast as they would like because staff and resources are always a challenge.

The previous contractor managing litter pickup in the East Valley had stopped performing work under contract with ADOT in early September.

A new one was hired in early November.

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