HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 24-1837INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
No. 24-1837
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council
April 16, 2024
Page 1 of 2
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON SUPPLEMENTAL EFFORTS TO CONTROL
LITTER ALONG TXDOT HIGHWAYS
The purpose of this Informal Report is to provide an update on the highway litter control 90-day pilot
project.
Background
During FY23, litter control challenges along highways became a key area of concern for the community.
Highway greenspace maintenance in Texas is the responsibility of TxDOT, and litter collection is
scheduled by TxDOT and their contractors. During Summer 2023, TxDOT contractor availability and
extreme temperatures resulted in an increased buildup of highway litter.
The City and TxDOT began collaborating to overcome barriers to highway maintenance with a focus on
litter in greenspace. Based on community feedback and a unified goal of maintaining clean, safe
highways, the City and TxDOT signed an amendment to the existing Municipal Maintenance Agreement
on November 6, 2023 which allows the City to provide supplemental maintenance along previously
restricted state highways.
Litter Control Pilot Project for Highway Greenspace
In November 2023, in collaboration with The Presbyterian
Night Shelter of Tarrant County, Inc., through its UpSpire
program (UpSpire), city staff developed a highway
greenspace litter abatement pilot project along two highway
segments: (1) 1-35W from downtown south to 1-20, and (2) 1-
30 from downtown west to Loop 820. Two dedicated litter
crews collected litter from respective highway greenspace
segments daily (Monday — Friday).
The pilot project resulted in a significant increase of
supplemental collection frequency to support the
maintenance cycles that are provided by TxDOT contractors
yearly (ranging between 6 and 26 cycles each year). City
staff and UpSpire litter crews worked in collaboration with
TxDOT contractor schedules to ensure greenspace along
the two highway segments were cleaned without
overlapping existing TxDOT work orders.
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The 90-day pilot project was successfully completed on UpSpire Highway Litter Abatement Areas "
March 15, 2024. City staff and UpSpire crews advanced the
goal for a noticeably cleaner city and have demonstrated a faster response time to highway litter
complaints. The pilot project resulted in 331 total acres cleaned (weekly cycles) with over 116,600 total
lbs. of litter collected. Based success from the pilot project, city staff and UpSpire plan to continue
supplemental litter control along highways.
Next Steps
An M&C to authorize an amendment to increase contract spending authority with UpSpire will be on the
April 23rd council agenda for approval. Staff seek to expand efforts along additional highway segments
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS
INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
No. 24-1837
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council
April 16, 2024
Page 2 of 2
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON SUPPLEMENTAL EFFORTS TO CONTROL
LITTER ALONG TXDOT HIGHWAYS
which include: (1) 1-30 from downtown east to Loop 820; (2) Hwy 287 between 1-20 and 1-30; and (3)
select segments of 1-20 in future project phases.
For questions on the information in this report, please contact Cody Whittenburg, Interim Environmental
Services Director, at (817) 392-5455.
David Cooke
City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER
FORT WORTH, TEXAS