Litter and Graffiti Clean-up

Overview

ODOT maintains the land adjoining highways and transportation infrastructure, or right of way. Part of that maintenance includes litter removal and graffiti cleanup. We do a lot of work to keep our roads clean, but the problem is constant and increasing at rates greater than our crews, volunteers and partners can keep up with.

In 2023, the Oregon Legislature passed Senate Bill 5701 giving ODOT $20 million in general fund dollars for litter removal, graffiti cleanup, camp cleanup and access prevention in the Portland metro area for use through June 2025. This funding was available on April 17, 2024 and on April 18, we had contracts in place for the work.

In addition, we are partnering with local business leaders to pilot a Sponsor-a-Highway program that is currently removing graffiti and litter on the I-405 corridor in Portland.

As of Nov. 30, 2024, these efforts have accomplished the following:
	November Outcomes	Outcomes to date
Litter removal	47,200+ lbs. collected	168,440 lbs. collected
Graffiti removal	1,148+ tags removed	16,313+ tags removed
Camp clean-up	145 camps cleaned up	1,093 camps cleaned up*
Access prevention	1 project underway	7 projects completed*

*April was first month of graffiti, camp cleanup & access prevention work with SB 5701 funds

Clean up locations in Oct. 2024


Before graffiti removal.	After graffiti removal.

Litter and graffiti removal happens along state highways in our Portland Metro Region (Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington counties).

In Nov., our primary litter removal focus areas were:

I-205 between mile points 0 and 26 - throughout the corridor roughly between I-5 in the Tualatin area and the Sandy Blvd exit in NE Portland. (6,280 lbs.)
I-405 between mile points mile points 3 to 4.2 - in downtown Portland
US 26 (Sunset Highway) between mile points 55 and 65 – throughout the corridor from Dersham Rd in Cornelius to Hillsboro. (3,080 lbs.)
I-5 southbound between mile points 282 and 308 – roughly from SW Multnomah Blvd to Hayden Island. (1,800 lbs.)
I-84 east and west between mile points 0 and 17, from I-5 to Troutdale. (3,340 lbs.)

In Nov., our primary graffiti removal focus areas were:

I-84 - 298 tags removed (mile point 0 to 17.8)
I-205 - 334 tags removed (mile point 0 to 26.5)
I-5 - 318 tags removed (mile point 282.6 to 308.3)
US 26 - 44 tags removed (mile point 55.1 to 73.6)
I-405 - 23 tags removed (mile point 3 to 4.2)

This work includes the removal of over 1,148 tag clusters and application of over 528 gallons of paint, 42 spray cans and 10 gallons of graffiti removal solvent. Graffiti was removed from four signs and no signs were replaced. Since April, a total of 81 signs have been cleaned and 58 were replaced.

Camp cleanup was conducted at the following locations by city of Portland contractors:

Frequent posting & cleaning areas:

I-405
I-205
I-5

Large-scale or significant sites cleaned this reporting cycle include:

I-405 NB ramp to I-5 NB. Camp obstructing access to critical rain with heavy rain in the forecast.
I-84 WB ramp to NE 42nd. Hot spot for camps beneath ramp

Funding Spent to Date*

Numbers may not reflect all worked billed during this time period.
Funding from SB 5701	Total Budget	Spent to date	Spent this month	Remaining
Litter removal	$4 million	$1,831,738	$782, 124	$2,168,262
Graffiti removal	$4 million	$815,938	$110,141	$3,184,062
Camp clean-up	$4 million	$2,208,819	$1,125	$1,791,181
Access prevention	$8 million	$422,542	$828	$7,577,458
Total	$20 million	$5,609,122	$894,218	$14,390,878

Service Delivery

Litter

ODOT uses maintenance crews, youth litter patrols, Adults in Custody work crews, permitted volunteer groups, and an Adopt-A-Highway program to deliver litter clean up services. Due to safety risks, ODOT plans these services in advance, uses traffic control as needed, and has a formal process to safely guide staff as they perform this work and handle items collected.

Camp Clean-up

Camp clean-up is delivered by the City of Portland, following practices that were developed collaboratively between the city, ODOT and Multnomah County service providers. Portland is responsible for program management, site clean-up, renting and managing a storage warehouse, support to Central City Concern and removal of derelict vehicles (including trailers and RVs) from state right of way.

Graffiti

Graffiti removal is delivered through ODOT maintenance crews and contracted support. We’ve also applied graffiti film, which can be peeled back to remove graffiti – saving crews from costly repairs and replacement – to new ODOT signs. Larger signs require highway closures, proactive alerts to industry partners of potential impacts, and can cost up to $30,000 to replace.

Access Prevention

Access prevention is used to protect bridges, retaining walls and multiuse paths from illegal camping and RV parking. This also protects bridge and related structures from structural damage, and limits camper exposure to high-speed roadways. In 2023, 50% of pedestrians hit and killed by cars in Portland were homeless. Connections have been drawn between encampment locations along high-speed roadways and the increased risk of serious injury or death for these campers. Access prevention includes the use of vegetation, fencing and barrier to limit access and discourage use.

Answers to Common Questions

Litter and graffiti happen in all parts of the state and ODOT, working with local governments, addresses those issues to the best of our ability. This new legislative funding is focused on the Portland area which has the highest concentration of litter and graffiti in the state.

Highway maintenance work is prioritized and measured. In many cases we cannot defer critical maintenance work to focus only on litter and graffiti – many of these other tasks are important for life/safety concerns. Our agency oversees approximately 8,000 lane miles, 2,700 state bridges across the state so there is a lot of work to do on a daily basis with limited funds.

Our roles in litter cleanup include:

Responding and removing any trash in active traffic or posing an immediate safety risk
Removing large items or debris (mattresses, couches) that potentially block traffic
Removing roadkill

We work hard to balance the needs of our aging transportation system while also addressing litter as time and resources allow.

Law enforcement plays a large role in preventing graffiti by stopping the taggers in action. We are working on preventing graffiti. Frequent removal of graffiti discourages taggers from damaging a site.

Contact Us

Contact one of our regional spokespeople for more information.

ODOT spent $22 million to clean and restore highway property during the 2021-23 budget cycle.

Latest Numbers

168,440 lbs. of litter collected total

16,313 Graffiti Tags Removed

1,093 Camps Cleared