Adopt-A-Highway Program

Keeping Hanover Litter Free

Hanover County, which is a community characterized by its pristine rural landscape and its clean and vibrant suburban area, is committed to preserving a clean and healthy environment. Hanover's prime location between Washington DC and Richmond, excellent schools, low unemployment, diverse economy, rural landscape, and healthy financial base have made it one of the most desirable places to live and work on the east coast. However, the attractions to the County have also placed a strain on efforts to keep litter off of County roads. To address the potential litter problems, the County is working more closely with the Virginia Department of Transportation to enhance and expand their Adopt-A-Highway program. In Virginia, the Adopt-A-Highway program began in 1988. Today the program supports volunteers from 6,800 groups, who keep 13,000 miles of road litter free across the State. In Hanover, approximately 105 groups keep 249 miles of State roads litter free.

This web page is intended to assist potential groups, who desire to adopt a State road in the County. Specific information on the Adopt-A-Highway program, including frequently asked questions, duties and responsibilities, and application information, are available at the VDOT web site at Adopt-A-Highway Program or by contacting VDOT at 804-752-5521. In addition, the County has drafted a series of maps and spreadsheets that identify sections of roads throughout the County that have already been adopted. A three step process has been developed to assist you in the adopt-a-highway process.

Step 1 - Identify a road (or section thereof) that you would be interested in adopting using the Adopt-A-Highway Maps provided and by using the Adopt-A-Highway Adopted Road Lists. The maps have been produced by Election District to assist you in finding a road that is located in your area. The listing identifies all roads that have already been adopted.

Step 2 - Determine the State Route Number using the Adopt-A-Highway Steet Name/State Route Number Lists for the street name that you desire to adopt. County maps include private and public roads, but the Adopt-A-Highway program only includes public roads (indeed, the application requests the State Route number, not the street name). Hence, a list has been provided that lists the street names and State Route numbers of all streets in the County.

Step 3 - Fill out the Adopt-A-Highway Program Application