CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Get accustomed to roads and highways maintained by the North Carolina Department of Transportation looking a little less beautiful. That agency is cutting back due to COVID-19's impact on cash flow.

Signs are evident along roads and highways that, while life for us came to somewhat of a halt, nature has not.

“We're hoping that we come out of this soon, but in the meantime, we're doing everything we can to preserve the resources,” NCDOT spokeswoman Jenn Thompson said.

COVID-19 is having a dramatic impact on all state agencies, especially the department of transportation.

“It's decreased our cash revenues,” Thompson said. “It's depleted a lot of revenue streams.”

It's led NCDOT to take measures like suspending taking on new contracts and projects, furloughing all employees, and cutting back on operations.

“Drivers are accustomed to seeing the roads looking a certain way, or the road signs looking a certain way,” Thompson added. “One thing that people will see less of is mowing.”

NCDOT normally does six, six-week-long grass mowing cycles each year throughout the state. But starting next month, and due to the impact of COVID-19 on cash reserves, it will reduce that to three cycles.

“We know that because of these reduced cycles, we know that grass is going to grow, and we anticipate hearing from folks about that,” Thompson said.

The waist-high weeds and mounting piles of litter don't just make things unsightly. It also presents safety concerns for drivers who can't see or pedestrians who can't access sidewalks.

“Let us know the road, let us know if there's an intersection nearby, or if there is not an intersection, a block number, and let us know what you're seeing,” Thompson said in referring to the “Contact Us” form on NCDOT's website.

It's reliance on the public, Thompson says, that will help keep our roads as beautiful as possible until the agency recovers.

“If we have a pretty wet summer, and we get storms, and we just see grass grow tall, it could be really quick that it grows back as soon as we cut it,” she said. “But we're going to do everything we can to address it.”

NCDOT also had to scrap one of the statewide litter sweeps it does twice a year along roads and highways. But you can pay it forward and help keep North Carolina beautiful by volunteering to do your own litter sweep through the “Adopt-A-Highway” program.