Governor Markell Celebrates 20 Year Anniversary Of Adopt-A-Highway Program

Dover -- Governor Jack Markell today joined Secretary of Transportation Carolann Wicks to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Delaware's Adopt-A-Highway (AAH) Program. This celebration recognizes not only the 800+ Adopt-A-Highway volunteers who work each year to keep litter off state roadways, but also several 20 year participants of the program as well as those volunteering the most hours, longest serving volunteer, greatest number of volunteers in a one group, and group collecting the most litter. The celebration is also an opportunity to highlight the benefits of the program in order to create a safer, healthier and cleaner Delaware. Originally established on April 25, 1990, volunteers with the program have logged thousands of hours working to keep Delaware roadway's litter free.

"We're working to make Delaware the best place in the country to build a business and raise a family. People want to live and work in attractive places where's there's a strong sense of community and Adopt-A-Highway delivers on both," Governor Markell said. "It shows that people care and makes Delaware's corridors attractive to residents and visitors alike. Motorists and cyclists also appreciate the beauty of a clean roadway in their daily travels."

The Adopt-A-Highway Program allows individuals, businesses, civic groups, service organizations, communities, church groups, environmentally-conscious groups, and school groups to help keep Delaware litter free. Volunteers "adopt" a two-mile stretch of a state maintained road and agree to conduct a minimum three litter cleanups per year.

"Last year, over 4,371 individual AAH volunteers picked up over 6,000 bags of trash, and spent 1,534 hours cleaning roadsides," said DelDOT Secretary Carolann Wicks.