ADOPT-A-HIGHWAY UPDATE By WILLIAM T. SUNLEY, Engineer of Local Roads & Streets

On a nationwide basis, the Adopt-A-Highway program has really taken off since its inception in 1985. The program, developed in Texas, has more than 75,000 groups participating across the United States.

• There are 48 states with programs.

• 835,000 volunteers participate in litter pick ups.

• Approximately 161,000 miles of highway have been adopted.

• There have been four fatalities in four different states over the nine years of the program. These fatalities occurred in Michigan: a drunk driver hit a DOT employee and killed him; Texas: Parents left a young child sleeping in their car during a pick up. When the child woke up and wandered onto the highway, he was hit; North Carolina: an elderly woman was struck by a hit and run driver; and Pennsylvania: a teen, trying to cross the road, came out from behind a bus and was hit.

On a lighter note, in a recent survey performed by the Illinois Department of Transportation, Office of Public Affairs to determine fatality statistics, the question was asked of each state if they could provide the number of accidents with resulting injuries and/or fatalities occurring during Adopt-A-Highway pick ups. Most states provided simple yes or no answers. However, Nebraska DOT stated that although "there have been no accidents that have involved our Adopt-A-Highway program, about three years ago, one person was bitten by a rattlesnake. However, it was felt that the snake bit him intentionally and so the incident cannot be counted as an accident." Keep your groups away from the rattlesnakes!

Since House Bill 2741 was signed in September 1992 creating the Adopt-A-Highway program in Illinois, more than 600 groups have contacted the Illinois Department of Transportation for information. We would like to begin a file to keep track of the groups that are in operation around the state.

We would appreciate it if you would contact Barbara Welk, Office of Public Affairs, 2300 S. Dirksen Parkway, Room 339, Springfield, IL 62764, or call her at 217-782-6953. Please provide her with the names of the groups, the number of people participating, and the number of miles that group has adopted. Your cooperation in this request will help the Department create an accurate file.

Page 24 / Illinois Municipal Review / November 1994