ARDOT ramps up litter cleanup, safety training and a student driver‑education program

Director Jared Wiley described a set of ARDOT programs intended to improve roadside safety, reduce litter and expand public outreach.

On litter and beautification, Wiley said ARDOT spends about $8,000,000 a year on cleanup and has created dedicated crews to pick up trash and sweep shoulders. "ARDOT spends about 8,000,000 a year fighting litter," he said, and added the department is exploring legislative options for the 2027 session to increase effectiveness.

Wiley also recounted safety tools and enforcement changes: mobile work‑zone crews, work‑zone cameras that can detect cell‑phone use and deployment of cameras on corridors including I‑30, I‑57 and I‑49. "Those images are deleted immediately if there's no citation issued," he said, noting privacy safeguards and that ARDOT typically issues warnings rather than tickets.

Beyond enforcement, Wiley described human‑trafficking training for ARDOT’s roughly 4,000 employees. "We're now training all of our field crews because they're out there every day seeing things...They'll be trained by April 1," he told the committee, adding office staff in Little Rock will follow.

Wiley also summarized 'Street Smart,' a driver‑education curriculum developed with the Department of Education and packaged for middle‑school students with videos, lesson plans and interactive materials. The program used local talent for the materials and will expand to high‑school content next summer. He said ARDOT will present the program to teachers during in‑service days and is encouraging school districts to adopt it.

Wiley noted a statewide spring cleanup week and said roughly 2,500 operations employees will volunteer, following a first year when crews collected about 6,500 bags of trash on the initial cleanup day.

Committee members commended the outreach and thanked staff for the work.