October is a time for football, colorful leaves and flannel. For the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), October 8-14 is also time for the Commonwealth’s Adopt-a-Highway groups to participate in the “Fall Sweep” to clear roadside litter.
“We appreciate our Adopt-a-Highway groups’ commitment to maintaining a clean environment that allows everyone to enjoy the natural beauty of Kentucky in the fall,” KYTC Secretary Greg Thomas said. “As these groups serve the Commonwealth by keeping roads litter-free, we remind motorists to slow down and use extra caution to keep volunteers safe.”
Each year, KYTC employees and contractors spend 200,000 hours removing 96,000 bags of highway litter. To assist those efforts, in 1988, KYTC established the Adopt-a-Highway program to reduce roadside litter, keep Kentucky’s highways beautiful, promote a cleaner environment, foster civic pride and save taxpayer dollars.
Today, Kentucky’s Adopt-a-Highway program has nearly 700 groups and volunteers remove thousands of bags of litter from approximately 1,400 miles of roadside.
Any permanently established business, association, community or public organization, or government entity can adopt a two-mile stretch of highway for two years. Local businesses, Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, high school organizations, service clubs, veterans groups, college fraternities and sororities, professional organizations, sports teams, church groups, and many others participate in the program.
To encourage safety for participants, groups are reminded to review the program’s roadside safety brochure before every outing. Motorists are asked to look out for Adopt-a-Highway volunteers and to proceed with caution through areas in which a cleanup is taking place.
Groups interested in joining the Adopt-a-Highway program can find details and district coordinator information at http://transportation.ky.gov/adoptahighway
