Litter Cleanup

Caring for our environment is an ever increasing concern. One major problem in this area is highway litter. Litter detracts from the scenic beauty of our highways. The department spends over $6 million each year to pick up litter. The department will cooperate with and recognize volunteers' efforts to clean up roadsides. MoDOT encourages adopters to recycle the litter. Most adoptions are for litter pick up.

Landscape Beautification

The department encourages adopters to plant and maintain highway roadsides to enhance the beauty of the environment. MoDOT suggests plantings such as flowers, shrubs, trees, wildflowers and native grasses to complement the roadsides' neighboring land.

Mowing

It takes a lot of time and more than $19 million a year to mow the grass on highway roadsides. To reduce costs, the department encourages and recognizes volunteers' efforts to mow highway roadsides so it blends in with their property.

"In Memory Of" Adoptions

All types of adoptions may be done in memory of an individual. Family permission is needed if the adoption is not done by an immediate family member.

Grow Native!

A group can adopt a section of right of way solely for roadside native wildflowers and grasses. This option requires a group to plant Missouri native wildflowers on the roadside of their selected section and maintain their plantings. The adopted area will be larger and the plants used must be native to Missouri. Grow Native! is a Missouri Prairie Foundation program. www.grownative.org

Some native wildflowers and grasses that could be used for this project would be the coreopsis, which is pictured on the Adopt-A-Highway sign, coneflowers, little bluestem and others plants that originated in Missouri.

Recognition

Adopt-A-Highway volunteers are given full credit for their efforts. MoDOT recognizes them with a resolution of appreciation for outstanding work performed for the State of Missouri and for all those who travel its highways. Adopters that maintain sections of highway more than one-half mile long in developed areas and two miles long in rural areas may be identified with a sign at each end of their adopted section.