The highways and byways in Mercer County should soon be freer of litter thanks to inmates from the state Regional Correctional Facility at Mercer in Findley Township.

Once prison officials receive approval from PennDOT, which prison Superintendent Assistant Fred Ruffo expects to come within the next month, motorists may see crews of 10 men, watched by one supervisor, picking up trash three of every four weeks.

The primary areas for cleanup will be along Interstate 79, state Route 18 near Hermitage and West Middlesex, and state Route 60 near Interstate 80.

"We've been doing work on the highways quite some time for PennDOT," Ruffo said. "Now it's going to be a regular activity."

The expanding trash-pickup program is part of a joint initiative by PennDOT and the Depart