AASHTO Journal - Arizona Adopt a Highway Event Cleans Part of Route 66

Recently, the Arizona Department of Transportation hosted a special “Adopt a Highway” roadway litter removal event in Flagstaff to mark the Route 66 centennial.

[Above photo by Arizona DOT]

The agency said in a statement that its Adopt a Highway event is just one of hundreds of events taking place this year across the country to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the “Mother Road.”

At Arizona DOT’s Route 66 clean up event, volunteers from Flagstaff, Williams, Phoenix, Glendale, Mesa, Tempe and other towns removed 19 bags of litter totaling more than 260 pounds, from a one-mile stretch of the iconic highway.

The agency noted that its Adopt a Highway volunteers make a big difference in keeping Arizona roadways free of trash. In 2025, nearly 8,000 people with 823 groups cleaned 1,982 miles of highway and filled 12,876 bags of trash and roadside litter, Arizona DOT noted, with the labor value of that volunteer work valued at over $589,000.

Across the country, state departments of transportation engage in a wide variety of efforts to keep roadways free of litter and other debris.

In July, the New Mexico Department of Transportation celebrated the first graduates of its “Land of Enchantment Young Ambassadors” program – an initiative designed to empower high school students from across New Mexico to lead local beautification efforts.

The 2025–2026 cohort of the “Young Ambassadors” program, part of NMDOT’s “Que Linda” program and the governor’s youth-focused #KeepLitterOut campaign, is made up of 14 high school juniors and seniors from across the state, each committed to organizing beautification projects and long-term capstone initiatives addressing litter and graffiti prevention in their communities.

In May, the New Jersey Department of Transportation and Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development both unveiled enhanced anti-littering programs for their respective states.

And in March, the Arkansas Department of Transportation launched a new website for the Adopt-A-Highway program. The new website, now live on the ardot.gov main menu, is designed to make it easier for state residents to get involved in keeping Arkansas roadways and rights-of-way clean and beautiful.