A number of St. Croix and Pierce county volunteers have adopted highways and take time to keep the communities clean. 

With spring weather here, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation is reminding drivers to stay alert for Adopt-A-Highway volunteers, who routinely collect trash and recyclables along state highways.

 “It’s a sign of spring to see people so generously taking time to remove trash and debris from our roadsides,” the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Secretary Craig Thompson said. “We are grateful to the thousands of Wisconsinites for their commitment to the Adopt-A-Highway program. We all play a role in keeping these volunteers safe – please watch the road ahead and slow down.”

Last year, Wisconsin Adopt-A-Highway groups collected more than 140 tons of trash and recyclables.​ More than 11,400 volunteers spent over 3,800 hours cleaning Wisconsin roadsides last year. 

Adopt-A-Highway workers are asked to clean up their assigned two-mile state highway segment at least three times per year. County highway crews gather the bagged materials for proper disposal. Automated forms on the Adopt-A-Highway website streamline reporting cleanup efforts.

There are a number of highway segments left to be adopted. 

An interactive map shows areas maintained by Wisconsin’s 3,017 Adopt-A-Highway groups as well as routes still available for additional volunteers. 

Of the 11,800 miles of state highway in Wisconsin, about 2,368 miles, less than one-quarter of the system, are available for adoption, so there is still room for interested volunteers.

As part of the program, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation furnishes safety vests, highway worker signs, a safety training video, trash bags and two permanent signs identifying the group. Each group must provide one adult supervisor for every five or six volunteers. Groups do not work in dangerous areas like medians, bridges or steep slopes.

Learn more at wisconsindot.gov/adoptahighway. 

Earth Month clean-up

Community members in St. Joseph and Somerset are coordinating annual efforts for road and ditch clean-up throughout April and May. 

There are 258 miles of village and town roads that are in need of garbage collection.

Neighbors, friend groups, family, grandchildren, sports team, school club, community minded classroom, civic group, scout troop, adult and youth church groups, nonprofit, business – gather your group. All are invited. 

Clean ups start on Earth Day, Saturday, April 22 and continue until May 31. 

To adopt a section of road, visit somerset.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=1dddfe8a8a1e46dfa4c26ae3446f391b. 

Pick a road, pend it, clean it up and mark the road as complete.

Volunteers are asked to, 

• pick up both sides of the road you claim.

• ring your own work gloves, closed toed shoes and a brightly colored shirt, jacket or vest. 

• stop by the Somerset Village Office and pick up trash bags or bring your own heavy lawn and leaf garbage bags. No white household bags. 

• walk your adopted roadside and ditch, pick up the trash and leave the full bags at the roadside. If it's a village road, public works will pick it up. If it is a town road, call 715-247-5094 and leave a message for pickup.

• go back to the website and click your road green to show it's been completed.