diff --git a/lib/sinatra/base.rb b/lib/sinatra/base.rb
index 81fbfd5750..af3a7c0a2b 100644
--- a/lib/sinatra/base.rb
+++ b/lib/sinatra/base.rb
@@ -802,21 +802,8 @@ def process_route(pattern, keys, conditions, block = nil, values = [])
       route = '/' if route.empty? and not settings.empty_path_info?
       if match = pattern.match(route)
         values += match.captures.to_a.map { |v| force_encoding URI.decode(v) if v }
-        params =
-          if keys.any?
-            keys.zip(values).inject({}) do |hash,(k,v)|
-              if k == 'splat'
-                (hash[k] ||= []) << v
-              else
-                hash[k] = v
-              end
-              hash
-            end
-          elsif values.any?
-            {'captures' => values}
-          else
-            {}
-          end
+        params = {'splat' => [], 'captures' => values}
+        keys.zip(values) { |k,v| (params[k] ||= '') << v if v }
         @params = @original_params.merge(params)
         @block_params = values
         catch(:pass) do
diff --git a/test/routing_test.rb b/test/routing_test.rb
index e3f4d0bead..a29b3c0f68 100644
--- a/test/routing_test.rb
+++ b/test/routing_test.rb
@@ -370,7 +370,8 @@ class RoutingTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
         "firefox" => {"engine" => {"name"=>"spidermonkey", "version"=>"1.7.0"}},
         "chrome"  => {"engine" => {"name"=>"V8", "version"=>"1.0"}}
       },
-      "paste" => {"name"=>"hello world", "syntax"=>"ruby"}
+      "paste" => {"name"=>"hello world", "syntax"=>"ruby"},
+      "splat"=>[], "captures"=>[]
     }
     mock_app {
       get '/foo' do