Adopt-a-Highway Program

Funding and Program Provisions

Each state, according to its size, budgeting organization categories, and unique concerns, handles the Adopt-a-Highway program a little bit differently. In Arizona, for example, the program is funded by the Intermodal Transportation Division (ITD). The ITD oversees the maintenance of the state's highway system, with the majority of its funds coming from the Highway User Resource Fund (HURF). The HURF funds the equipment and instructional materials for Adopt-a-Highway through gasoline and fuel use taxes, as well as vehicle license taxes, car registration fees, and other miscellaneous state fees. Other states also put Adopt-a-Highway resources into their respective budgets.

Primary sources of litter in all states are motorists who do not use ashtrays or trash bags in the car but instead toss the garbage onto the highway. Litter may also come from trash containers that have not been properly closed, causing the debris to fly out and land on or beside the highway. Trucks with either unsecured or uncovered loads are at risk of losing some material to the roadside. And some pedestrians and cyclists passing through on roads other than the interstate highway may toss litter as they go along.

Age and other limitation requirements can also vary from state to state. In some states, adult citizens and minors aged 12 to 17 can volunteer for Adopt-a-Highway, but the minors must be supervised by an adult who is at least 21 and must also submit a youth participation release form to the program. In others states, like California, volunteers can be aged 16 and older, with minors supervised by an adult. The programs must not discriminate based on ethnic origin, race, sex, color or political affiliation. This was put to the test in the state of Missouri when the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), a white supremacist group, tried to get a sign put up acknowledging their work along the highway in Missouri. The State of Missouri refused; the KKK argued that this violated their First Amendment rights to free speech. The case was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in 2005 that the state could not prevent the KKK from participating in the Adopt-a-Highway program.

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