MISSOURI AND ILLINOIS (WGEM) – When you’re driving on the Show-Me state roads, you might recognize those many Adopt-A-Highway signs. The program, which has been around in Missouri since the late 1980s, dedicates a small section of road to a local business, charity, or loved one and gets surrounding members to clean up that section four times a year.

The program is now being phased out in Missouri. It will soon be replaced with a new initiative called Keeping Missouri Beautiful.

Missouri Department of Transportation’s State Maintenance Director Darin Hamelink said Adopt-A-Highway should be fully phased out by 2026. He said it’s costly and unsafe with a rise of distracted drivers.

“We [also] don’t want volunteers crossing the road,” Hamelink said.

Hamelink said Keeping Missouri Beautiful will be more structured and won’t drain finances.

“Volunteers sign up for one event at a time,” Hamelink said. “And we do a safety briefing every time. [We’ll make sure] where you can and can’t be, make sure you’re facing traffic, make sure you’re just picking in the grassy areas and not on the shoulder.”

Over in Illinois, Adams County Sheriff Anthony Grootens said they used to have prisoners clean up along the roads, but that’s no longer allowed in the Land of Lincoln.

“There’s only certain classified people that would be able to go out onto the street,” Grootens said. “So, we’re limited on the number of people we have.”

Grootens said if they catch someone littering they will make the offender go back and toss it out and possibly face a fine.

“The courts will frown upon that when they show up in court,” Grootens said.

Grootens said illegal dumping is a problem often seen on the backroads. He said if caught, the offender could be faced with a misdemeanor.

You can find more information and how to volunteer for Keeping Missouri Beautiful here.

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