Aug 20, 2008 6:50 pm US/Central
Stretch Of I-94 Still Looking Trashy Before RNC
(CBS News)
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It appears on this stretch of road the only ones who adopted this highway are litterbugs.
CBS
Next week, 45,000 visitors will start to arrive in the Twin Cities for the Republican National Convention. Preparations have been underway for months to show convention goers the best of what the state has to offer.
Last weekend volunteers in Minneapolis and St. Paul were busy sprucing up the city for the RNC visitors. They picked weeds and picked up bags of trash, and also planted flowers that were donated.
But drive down Interstate 94 between St. Paul and Minneapolis and you see trash lined roadways.
"There's quite a bit of trash littered on both sides of the road; it looks like cans and paper products," said St. Paul Resident Alex Cahill.
It appears on this stretch of road the only ones who adopted this highway are litterbugs.
"I see a lot of litter that accumulates over time," said Lilydale resident George Guidera.
Food containers, plastic, cups, milk cartons and cardboard remain just a week before thousands of out of town guests arrive.
"I think it'll kind of give off a negative impression to be honest. I just think that a lot of people when they're coming to a city and you kind of have a big event you want to put your best foot forward," said Cahill.
Back in 1990, when former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev visited the Twin Cities, the cities went to great lengths to impress him planting hundreds of flowers along Interstate 94 in his honor.
"I guess it would be nice to see if the city took care of the sides of the roadways and clean that up, especially with all the major visitors coming in," said Cahill.
"There's going to be a lot of people back and forth along this freeway so it strikes me as a detail someone missed if they want to put your best foot forward," said Guidera.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation said crews will be out in the next couple weeks mowing, trimming trees, clearing brush and picking up trash not just on Interstate 94 but also Interstate 35E and other roads leading into the Twin Cities.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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