ST. PAUL – The Minnesota Department of Transportation is recruiting individuals and organizations to become Adopt a Highway volunteers.
Individuals and groups who want to volunteer can visit www.mndot.gov/adopt/ to find their local area program coordinator. MnDOT provides safety training, trash bags and safety vests, and picks up the filled bags that volunteers leave on the side of the road.
MnDOT also posts signs along the adopted segments of roads with the names of the volunteer groups.
Volunteers are asked to commit to the program for at least two years and pick up litter on both sides of the roadway at least twice a year. The average length of an adopted roadway is 2 to 3 miles, although some roads are longer.
There are 5,455 segments of roadways defined for the program. Of those segments, 1,719 are available for adoption. The program is a public service project that helps reduce litter along the roadsides. It’s been part of MnDOT’s maintenance operations since 1990.
