PIERRE - State prison inmates are helping the South Dakota Transportation Department with roadside cleanup projects across the state.

State prison officials say inmates from the Yankton minimum-security unit began picking up trash along Interstate 29 on Monday. The inmate crew is expected to work about two weeks along I-29 from the South Dakota-Iowa border to mile marker 58.

Inmates from the South Dakota Women's Prison in Pierre will work Wednesday to pick up trash along U.S. Highway 14 north of Pierre, the truck bypass east of the city and South Dakota Highway 34 for a few miles east of Pierre.

Officials say motorists should drive with caution and be aware of the inmates working along the highways.

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