The St. Charles County Highway Department’s Adopt-A-County-Road program offers an opportunity for organizations or individuals to adopt a section of county-maintained roadways and conduct periodic litter clean-ups to help protect the environment and keep roads welcoming and safe.
“The program is a great opportunity for the public to get involved in their community,” says John Lyons, County Engineer. “Adopting a County road helps reduce the impact of littering in our environment, protects drivers and our roadways, and helps preserve wildlife habitats.”
County roads are a vital piece of the St. Charles County transportation network, connecting the places where residents live, work and play. While development, construction and weather treatment are the most critical aspects of road maintenance, it is also important to maintain the areas around County roadways.
“Clean roadways are safer roadways,” Lyons says. “Litter clean-ups allow the removal of trash and debris from areas near roads that could otherwise enter roadways and pose a potential danger to motorists.”
Civic and nonprofit organizations, commercial and private enterprises, and individuals are invited to apply for the program. Participants, who must be at least 10 years old and accompanied by an adult if under the age of 18, may adopt at least 2 miles of roadways in rural areas or at least one-half mile of roadway in urban areas for a minimum of three years. Litter clean-ups along the adopted section of roadway must occur at least four times per year, and participants must abide by the Highway Department’s safety requirements.
The Highway Department provides participants with safety trainings, safety vests and equipment, and litter bags for clean-ups. The Department also removes and disposes of filled litter bags, and places two roadway signs—one at each end of the road section—identifying the adopting group or individual.
The Highway Department is responsible for improving and maintaining existing public county roads, constructing new roads, and providing snow removal and oversight of the public right-of-way. County roads are any public road located outside the jurisdiction of the various cities in the county and that are not part of the state system. Streets within cities are typically maintained by that city, except for smaller municipalities that contract with the County Highway Department to have their streets maintained. The Department is comprised of approximately 123 employees, including laborers, equipment operators, technicians, engineers and administrative staff.
For more information and to apply to participate in the Adopt-A-County-Road program, visit sccmo.org/Highway or call 636-949-7305.