To decrease the cost of litter pickups and maintain the natural beauty of the state.

Any group interested in adopting a stretch of highway must contact their local coordinator to apply.

To date, approximately 8,000 miles in Texas have been adopted through the program.

There are more than 3,800 AAH groups in Texas. AAH programs are in 49 states. Vermont has a program similar to AAH called “Green Up.” In addition, Canada, Great Britain, Japan, New Zealand, Australia and Mexico have developed AAH programs.

Adopted miles equal savings. Currently, Texas saves approximately $3 million a year in cleanup costs. AAH volunteers pick up litter on approximately 8,000 miles of roadways, which makes up about 10 percent of Texas’ state-maintained roads.

The Travel Information Division of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) oversees the AAH program. There are 25 TxDOT districts in the state, each of which has an AAH coordinator. The district coordinators manage the program in their respective areas and assist the public in adopting sections of roadway.

In Texas, an individual or group adopts a two-mile stretch of highway for two years, and each group must agree to clean their stretch four to six times a year.

• Safety vests
• Trash bags
• Safety training
• AAH signs posted with an individual’s or group’s name at the adopted section.

Interested groups can request a specific roadway. However, TxDOT makes the final decision on the assignment. Highway safety is a principal concern in all decisions related to the program. TxDOT may consider such factors as width of right of way, geometrics, congestion and sight distance of roadways in determining which sections of highways shall be eligible for adoption. In no circumstance shall a section of an interstate highway be eligible for adoption.

Any individual, family, group, organization or company is welcome to adopt a segment of highway. The adoption of a section of highway is an opportunity that may be granted by TxDOT to individuals or groups who would assist the program in achieving its purpose and goals. TxDOT may deny a request to adopt a section of highway if, in its opinion, granting the request would jeopardize the program, be counterproductive to its purpose, or create a hazard to the safety of the traveling public.

• The group name or acronym
• The phrase "Employees of," "Members of" or similar equivalent preceding a business name to give credit to the volunteers
• The phrase "In Memory of" for a memorial adoption if that individual died as a result of a collision on the Texas Highway System 

Signs cannot include:

• The full name or official title of an elected official
• A group name that is directly or indirectly responsible for influencing the outcome of any election or legislation
• Slogans, advertisements, phone numbers, directions, or website and email addresses (unless one of these is part of a legal business name)

TxDOT has a three-pronged approach to litter prevention: Don’t mess with Texas®, Adopt-a-Highway and a grassroots partnership with Keep Texas Beautiful. All three programs work together to reduce litter on Texas roads.

• Don’t mess with Texas® Trash-off
• Don’t mess with Texas® Art Calendar Contest
  
• Don’t mess with Texas® Scholarship
  
• Campus Cleanup
• Report a Litterer

Keep Texas Beautiful (KTB) partners with TxDOT’s litter prevention programs by taking our programs out into local communities. KTB currently has more than 390 affiliates across the state. These affiliates work with their respective communities, local governments, businesses, civic groups and volunteers in reinforcing the litter prevention message as well as other environmental messages.

To find out more about these issues and other opportunities, visit www.dontmesswithtexas.org.