Adopt a Highway in Chester County
February 2024
Have you ever seen the blue and white Adopt a Highway signs along PA roadways and wondered what they were? Ever seen bags of trash along the shoulder of state roads throughout the county and wondered why they were there? Read on!
PennDOT has a program that invites local groups to adopt a stretch of state-owned roadways to clean up at least twice a year, and in return, PennDOT will provide the supplies needed to hold a clean-up, including vests, bags, gloves and safety signage, and will collect and dispose of your group's full trash bags after your event. In addition, PennDOT posts blue signs recognizing the support of your group.
PennDOT relies on all of us to help keep Pennsylvania beautiful and keep the roadways clean. According to PennDOT's Highway Statistics there are 1,016 miles of state roads in Chester County alone, and only a fraction of those are adopted by local volunteer groups (check out Keep Chester County Beautiful's website for a list of Adopters). So next time you see trash along a state roadway, consider getting some friends together and adopting a highway!
All you have to do is go to PennDOT's Adopt a Highway page and click on the "Sign up now" tab. Select Chester County from the dropdown, then an interactive map will appear that allows you to select a roadway that your group wants to keep clean. Simply submit your selection to PennDOT for approval and you'll be the proud adopter of a Chester County highway.
Once you have adopted your roadway, you can request supplies for your clean-up event through the same webpage. After you hold your clean up, you also submit a request for PennDOT to pick up the trash you collected. If you need help planning your first event, Keep Chester County Beautiful has a handy How To guide on our website, or contact us to discuss your event.