TOLEDO, Ohio — Even though it's July, ODOT crews are still busy clearing the roads. But they're not plowing snow.
Instead, they are clearing out trash from the roads.
"Whenever we are expecting a lot of rain, we go out in advance of that," said ODOT spokesperson Rebecca Dangelo.
Crews go out and make sure the drains along the interstate are clear, so they are prepared to catch the trash that flows in during a storm. They also sweep along the walls of the highway to try and clear as much trash as possible.
"A major issue is if those drains clog, that's obviously going to back that water up which will then back up onto the interstate. Anytime that happens, that's an increase of crashes happening," said Dangelo.
Construction zones like the I-75 interchange are tricky to work with because there are fewer lanes. Crews check those regularly especially on days where it rains back-to-back.
"There's the tighter lanes so people are getting used to it but there's also, that affects where the drainage is and how that operates," said Dangelo.
It's not just a problem on the highway, but also side roads. The city of Toledo has had nine separate instances in the past two weeks of sewers being clogged and roadways being impacted because of it.
While some of the debris on the roads are from accidents, many of the objects crews pull out of the drains are trash drivers throw out the window.
"Please make sure you're keeping your trash in your car, don't throw it out, resist that urge," said Dangelo.