Transit team de-trashes highway

Published 11:07 am Tuesday, April 30, 2024

LONG BEACH — A small part of Long Beach got just a little bit tidier on April 6, thanks to the staff at Pacific Transit System.

Eight staff members braved threatening skies to hit the road on S.R. 103 between mile markers 3 and 5 as part of the state’s Adopt-a-Highway program.

It’s a way to give back and dovetails nicely with the agency’s tagline, “It’s All About Community,” said Pacific Transit General Manager Michael Wagner.

“Pacific Transit is dedicated to engaging with our communities, and our participation in Adopt-a-Highway demonstrates our commitment to this ideal. It’s truly all about community.”

The crew removed 31 bags full of litter from the roadside while avoiding the rain.

“We timed it just right,” said Mike Williams, group leader. “It stopped raining a few minutes after we started.”

The first event was in 2023 and took several hours to complete. There was a lot to clean up, and the group was just figuring out a strategy for doing the project, he said.

This event took only about two-and-a-half hours.

Drivers were accommodating, pulling out when they could and giving a supportive honk along the way.

“Most people (drivers) try to move over for us,” Williams said. “Some wave, some honk. It’s nice to have the community acknowledge what we’re doing.”

He asks drivers to slow down when they come across any crews working on the side of the road.

“We try to keep one eye on traffic at all times, but when you’re grabbing for an empty beer can or a discarded sock that’s stuck in the mud, you can get distracted.”

The white bags by the side of the road get picked up and weighed by the Washington State Department of Transportation. The state keeps track of how much litter its teams around the state clean up each year.

The team at Pacific Transit is already planning for another Adopt-a-Highway event, probably in September.