Make a difference – adopt a highway

Make a difference in your community and help the environment at the same time – join the Adopt-A-Highway program in Kansas.

The goal of the program is to clean along the roadways throughout the state to increase safety for motorists and pedestrians as well as improve the beauty of Kansas. This helps to raise awareness on the negative effects of pollution and the positive aspects of a clean community.

Any non-profit group that does not discriminate upon the basis of race, religion or gender can join and there is no cost to the group. Members must be at least 11 years old and have adequate adult supervision. Groups have clean-ups three times a year and are recognized for their efforts with signs marking their sections of highway.

Adopt-A-Highway groups are gearing up for the annual Clean Up Kansas Campaign which takes place during the month of April. This event, as well as the program, is sponsored by the Kansas Department of Transportation. 

All Adopt-A-Highway groups are encouraged but not required to participate in the statewide event.

Groups clean their sections of roadway three times a year at their convenience. Most choose to schedule a clean-up time in the spring, summer and fall.

For more information, contact the KDOT office in your area (listed below). Ask for the Adopt-A-Highway coordinator in the KDOT office located closest to you.

Volunteers should have the following qualifications before heading out:

• Good physical condition, including sight and hearing.
• Mental alertness, don’t participate if you are tired or drowsy.
• A sense of responsibility for the safety of the public and the crew.
• A willingness to use good common sense.
• Group members must be 11 years old and have adequate adult supervision

Once you join

• Most highway sections are two miles long. Groups that adopt a Kansas highway must agree to remove litter at least three times a year for two years per their convenience.
• There is no cost to join the group – KDOT provides trash bags and safety vests.
• Please contact your KDOT office before a scheduled cleanup.
• Volunteers should only pick up litter along one side of the highway at a time and only work during daylight hours.
• It is encouraged that volunteers carpool to the destination to reduce the number of vehicles and only park in the recommended areas.
• Wear bright and light clothing with long sleeves if possible. Also wear a hat, sunscreen insect replant and proper footware.
• Be alert. Be aware of traffic at all times and if you see any suspected toxic/hazardous chemicals or dead animals, DO NOT try to handle or remove them. Notify your nearest KDOT office, the Kansas Highway Patrol, or local police department.
• However you decide to get involved it’s important to be safe while helping your community. For more tips, check out the Adopt-A-Highway website.

Make a difference – Adopt a highway

Make a difference in your community and help the environment at the same time – join the Adopt-A-Highway program in Kansas.

“This is such a worthwhile program,” says Heather Brown with the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve.  “It helps keep the beauty of Kansas unmarred and delicate ecosystems undisturbed.”

The goal of the program is to clean along the roadways throughout the state to increase safety for motorists and pedestrians, as well as improve the beauty of Kansas.  This helps to raise awareness on the negative effects of pollution and the positive aspects of a clean community.

Any nonprofit group that does not discriminate upon the basis of race, religion or gender can join and there is no cost to the group.  Members must be at least 11 years old and have adequate adult supervision.  Groups have clean-ups three times a year and are recognized for their efforts with signs marking their sections of highway.  Since spring 1990, thousands of groups have participated and a number of the original groups are still active today.

Adopt-A-Highway groups are gearing up for the annual Clean Up Kansas Campaign which takes place during the month of April.  This event, as well as the program, is sponsored by the Kansas Department of Transportation.  All Adopt-A-Highway groups are encouraged, but not required to participate in the statewide event.

Groups clean their sections of roadway three times a year at their convenience.  Most choose to schedule a clean-up time in the spring, summer and fall.

How you can join: Your group can join by calling your closest KDOT office.  Phone numbers and application forms can be found at the Adopt-A-Highway Website. 

• Volunteers should have the following qualifications before heading out:Good physical condition, including sight and hearing

• Mental alertness - don’t participate if you are tired or drowsy.

• A sense of responsibility for the safety of the public and the crew.

• A willingness to use good common sense.

#KDOTTUESDAYS: Ulysses seniors adopt a highway

Students from Ulysses High School partner with KDOT staff from southwest Kansas to keep their community and highways clean for their senior service learning project. 

While many high school seniors are focused on senior pictures, graduation announcements and deciding what their next steps will be after high school graduation, three Ulysses High School seniors are partnering with KDOT District Six staff to keep their community and highways clean as part of their senior service learning project.  When Connor Beims, Austen Everett, and David Vasquez had an interest in a project geared towards the outdoors, Senior English teacher, Jodi Pfingsten visited with them about the highways and KDOT’s Adopt a Highway program.  As part of the project, Connor, Austen, and David will be working with local organizations in Ulysses and Grant County to revive the Adopt a Highway Program by making organizations aware of the program and coordinating sign-ups and clean-ups in the Ulysses/Grant County area.  They will be contacting all organizations that have signed up for a route in District Six to update contact information, to determine when the last clean-up was, and to confirm the organization’s interest in participating in KDOTs Adopt a Highway program.  According to Pfingsten, all students at Ulysses High School are required to complete five hours of community service each year.  During the students’ junior year Pfingsten likes to have the students perform their five hours of community service in one area in the community so the students begin to build relationships.  As seniors, the service project must incorporate an outside agency and contain a project management variable which teaches students to take a big project and break it down into smaller short-term goals with varying responsibilities.  This helps students develop communication skills and learn how relationships work. 

According to Joe Finley, KDOTs District Six Maintenance Engineer, many of the Adopt A Highway organizations signed up a number of years ago and haven’t reported any clean-ups or been contacted in the last several years.  “We are excited to have help with this program in Southwest Kansas and especially interested in having this group of young men show an interest in the program.  We are anxious to get their input on how we can revive the program and make it more appealing to younger generations today”.

For more information on how you can get involved, check out our blog form earlier this year:
http://kansastransportation.blogspot.com/2017/04/adopt-highway-keep-kansas-clean.html

Adopt-A-Highway: Keep Kansas clean

Earth Day is this Saturday and it is a great reminder that we have the power to make our environment safe, clean and beautiful.

One way to help keep Kansas clean is through the Adopt-A-Highway program. This national program began in 1989.

Trash can be an unsightly problem. Participation in the program not only helps the environment; it also gives non-profit groups an opportunity to be active in their community and it saves tax dollars.

Here are some tips on how you can keep our state looking great:

How you can join
Any non-profit group that does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color or gender can participate in KDOT’s Adopt-A-Highway program by calling your closest KDOT office.  Phone numbers and application forms can be found at the Adopt-A-Highway Website.

• Volunteers should have the following qualifications before heading out:Good physical condition, including sight and hearing

• Mental alertness - don’t participate if you are tired or drowsy.

• A sense of responsibility for the safety of the public and the crew.

• A willingness to use good common sense.

• Group members must be at least 11 years old and have adequate adult supervision,

Once you join

Most highway sections are two miles long. Groups that adopt a Kansas highway must agree to remove litter at least three times a year for two years per their convenience.

There is no cost to join the group – KDOT provides trash bags and safety vests.

Please contact your KDOT office before a scheduled cleanup.

• Volunteers should only pick up litter along one side of the highway at a time and only work during daylight hours.

• It is encouraged that volunteers carpool to the destination to reduce the number of vehicles needed and only park in the recommended areas.
  
• Wear bright and light clothing with long sleeves if possible. Also wear a hat, sunscreen, insect replant and proper footware.
  
• Be alert. Be aware of traffic at all times and if you see any suspected toxic/hazardous chemicals or dead animals, DO NOT try to handle or remove them. Notify your nearest KDOT office, the Kansas Highway Patrol, or local police department.

However you decide to get involved, it’s important to be safe while helping your community. For more tips, check out the Adopt-A-Highway website mentioned earlier. 

Litter bugs beware! KDOT crews exterminate trash along highways

It’s amazing what some people will throw away, especially out of vehicle windows while driving more than 65 miles an hour along Kansas highways.

KDOT crews across the state actually take the time to clean up the messes that litter bugs leave behind. KDOT addresses these messy situations to improve safety for the traveling public.

On average KDOT crews can pick up 2-4 tons worth of trash each week. An article posted on KDOT’s Northeast Kansas Facebook page explains that in the KC Metro area, crews pick up litter by hand as time allows.

“Many of these tasks, especially litter pick up, are never ending,” the article said. “Effort may be made one day to pick up litter and the next day it may look as if it was never addressed. KDOT does not take our responsibilities lightly in providing a safe and efficient transportation system.”

KDOT crews also still have to ensure that hazardous spills are cleaned up and it can require several agencies.

Wayne Nelson, Superintendent at the Pittsburg Area Office, said that last year a hospital waste disposal truck’s door fell open and about 20 big bags of medical waste were scattered along a five-mile area. KDOT, KDHE, Emergency Management, The Kansas Highway Patrol, the local sheriff and other agencies were all on the scene to clean up the mess.

“As Area Superintendent of Area Four, I refused to allow any agency on the list to leave the trash on our right of way for even one night,” Nelson said.  “There was a trailer court and residences all around the area, any dog could have taken the trash to a yard where kids were playing.”

Nelson said that on any given day, staff may find some dangerous items left along the state right-of-way.

“Drug dealers leave their hazardous waste for KDOT people to address, because if (these items) are found in a dumpster they may identify who is doing the dumping. Dangerous items requiring removal from state right of way may include needles, chemicals, fire hazards, and explosives."

Some areas in the state report that more drug paraphernalia is dumped on the side of the road after a drug lane check.

Hazardous waste aside, some KDOT crews find the strangest things along roadways. Unusual finds include money, laptops, cell phones, truck tires, guns, IDs, tools, knives and even entire motorcycles abandoned by their owners.

While KDOT crews do their best to clean up the litter, they cannot do it alone. Some areas in the state need your help to exterminate litter. KDOT’s ADOPT-A-Highway program is a great way to do your part to keep Kansas beautiful and take an active role in keeping your state clean!

Find more information about how you can get involved here!

And remember, litter belongs in a trashcan or recycle bin, not along roadsides.