April 8, 2009 -- More than 32,000 volunteers will soon hit the state's highways to scour for unsightly trash that has accumulated over the winter, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). The annual Adopt-A-Highway pickup takes place April 18-26 and is the first of three pickups in 2009. The other scheduled pickups are July 11-19 and Sept. 12-20.
"Adopt-A-Highway is a great way to give back to your community," said State Transportation Director Kirk T. Steudle. "Last year, the efforts of our volunteers eliminated nearly 72,000 bags of trash and saved taxpayers $1.2 million in cleanup costs. I don't know what we'd do without their hard work, especially given our rising maintenance costs."
"I want to remind all motorists to drive cautiously during the litter pickup and watch out for these safety-vested volunteers," he said.
This year, Adopt-A-Highway workers will be wearing new high-visibility, yellow-green safety vests which are now required by federal regulation when workers are within the right of way on a federal highway. The new vests are provided free of charge to all volunteers, in addition to trash bags, which are hauled away later by MDOT.
All types of organizations can participate in the pickup - from church groups to businesses to scouts to families. Crew members must be at least 12 years old and each group needs three or more people, although more are recommended to help spread the work load.
Participants adopt a section of state highway to clean up during a minimum two-year commitment. Groups are asked to pick up litter three times a year during designated pickup periods. There is no fee to participate, and in recognition of the adoption, groups will get colorful Adopt-A-Highway signs on the roadway.
This year, a new video called "Michigan's Big Clean Team" is available to show to prospective Adopt groups. It is available for viewing on YouTube (search Michigan Adopt-A-Highway), or on the MDOT Web site at www.michigan.gov/adoptahighway. For more information, including a list of regional coordinators, visit the Web site.
MDOT: Working to improve our state roads and bridges.
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