County Residential Street Sweeping Proceeding

Montgomery County’s annual street sweeping program on residential roadways began earlier this month. The joint effort between the departments of Transportation (MCDOT) and Environmental Protection (DEP) removes abrasives and other debris left behind after the winter snow season and improves the appearance and safety of streets. Based on past results, the spring cleaning on about 4,000 of the County’s 5,000 lane miles of roads should remove about 2,000 tons of material that could otherwise be washed into streams.

“Street sweeping is an important part of the County’s efforts to improve water quality in our local streams and reduce pollutants in the Chesapeake Bay,” said Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett. “Street sweeping not only improves the appearance of our neighborhoods, it also protects the environment by keeping salt, sand and other debris out of our storm drains, our stormwater management facilities and our waterways.”

Removing excess debris and abrasives from road surfaces helps to keep drainage systems clean. Roads in areas identified by DEP as priority watersheds will be swept first and, if needed, will receive additional sweepings.

Brightly colored signs are posted in neighborhoods a few days before street sweeping begins. To improve the quality of service and the effectiveness of the sweeping program, residents are urged to find alternative parking while their streets are cleaned.

Daily updates detailing which areas are scheduled for street sweeping are available on the County’s website or the MC311 Customer Service Line from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. by dialing 311 from within the County or 240.777.0311 from outside the County.

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