Adopt A Road Program

Montgomery County's Adopt A Road program has more than 750 volunteers regularly cleaning
road segments in an effort to Keep Montgomery County Beautiful.  You can be apart of this program too! 

Volunteers from the Colesville Lions Club	Volunteers from Wheaton Moose Lodge

Click below to see a video describing one volunteer group's experience on a typical roadside cleaning 

PROGRAM APPLICATION 

The application below includes the program description, guidelines and safety procedures.

Once an application is submitted, the approval process will take 1-2 weeks.  A letter will be mailed regarding its approval or denial. Once a application is approved and signage is requested, it will take 8-11 weeks for the installation.  If you do not receive a confirmation of receipt please email the Community Outreach Office at mcdot.outreach@montgomerycountymd.gov or call 240.777.7155.

AVAILABLE ROADS FOR ADOPTION

Because this program is constantly growing with new volunteers, please contact Community Outreach to verify that the road you are interested in is still available for adoption. 

 Map of Regional Service Centers in Montgomery County

Contact the Community Outreach office by email or call 240.777.7155 to discuss the availability of any particular road segment or to see what roads in your community might be appropriate for adoption.  FYI - State Roads have a route number.

EQUIPMENT DISTRIBUTION FORM & PICK UP INFORMATION

To help with their cleaning efforts, each quarter AAR Volunteers can request and pick up cleaning equipment such as, gloves, reflective vest, trash bags, etc., Monday thru Friday between 9:00am - 4:00pm at the Community Outreach Office in the Executive Office Building (EOB) located at 101 Monroe Street, 10th Floor, Rockville, MD 20850. See map below for reference.

Please call 240.777.7155 or email mcdot.outreach@montgomerycountymd.gov  the day before you pick up equipment. View the form below to see distribution limits. 

The document below shows the equipment distribution limits for each quarter.

- Sorted by Adopted Street
- Sorted by Volunteer/Group

  DIRTY ROADS & DELI'S  - OCTOBER 2011

Volunteers met at 9:00am Saturday, October 22nd at the The Royal Bagel Bakery and Deli to enjoy a free cup of coffee before heading out to clean portions of Middlebrook Road, Germantown Road/MD 118 and Crystal Rock Drive in Germantown. They wrapped up the cleaning by meeting back at the deli at 10:45am for a delicious lunch.

Each year for the past four years Department of Transportation has taken on a location in need of some roadside cleaning and had a good time sprucing it up and then celebrating our efforts at ta nearby deli.  This year our business partner was The Royal Bagel Bakery and Deli, a very popular local business in Germantown.

If you would like to particpate in this years Dirty Roads and Deli's (October) let us know! Call the Community Outreach office 240-777-7155 or email mcdot.outreach@montgomerycountymd.gov. Students can earn Community Service Hours!

Thanks to all who participated!!

Volunteer Center: Description of Project
Sponsored by: MCDOT and the Keep Montgomery County Beautiful Task Force
Business Partners: The Royal Bagel Bakery and Deli

ARTICLE - The Gazette
September 2010

Volunteers keep it clean with the county Adopt-A-Road program
by Cody Calamaio | Staff Writer

Bill Agnostak of North Potomac picks up litter, including illegally posted political campaign signs, on Dufief Mill Road, a mile of which he has pledged to clear off trash at least six times per year through the county's Adopt-A-Road program.

Recently the Gazette, later repeated in the Washington Post's Local Living section, ran a story about the County's Adopt A Road program and its volunteer participants.   READ MORE

View the printed article

ADOPT A ROAD SURVEYS

The Community Outreach office usually surveys the volunteer contacts for the Adopt A Road program annually.  This survey gathers useful data about the program and serves as an important tool in ensuring program participants are still active. 

2012 Survey coming soon!
AAR 2008 Volunteer Survey Instrument
Summary of 2008 AAR Volunteer Survey Results

DON'T FORGET TO REPORT YOUR CLEANUP! 

 (Help us monitor progress in meeting the goals of the Potomac Trash Free Treaty!)
 Send an email to mcdot.outreach@montgomerycountymd.gov to report the date of your clean up and
 how many bags and were gaithered (include gallons if possible).

Trash Free Potomac Watershed Initiative

When Alice and Henry Ferguson purchased Hard Bargain Farm along the Potomac River in Accokeek, Maryland in 1922, they had no idea how significant an impact the 130-acre plot of land would have on the surrounding area. Hard Bargain Farm became an escape for the friends and family of the Fergusons and acted as the setting for Alice to fully develop her creative and philanthropic nature. Following Alice's death, Henry established the Alice Ferguson Foundation in 1954 and later donated their property to Piscataway Park in an effort to preserve the riverfront beauty and his wife's legacy. The foundation executed its mission to provide experiences that encourage connections between people, the natural environment, farming, and the cultural heritage of the Potomac River Watershed by offering educational programs for the entire community.

In 1989, the foundation expanded their outreach by organizing a two-site litter cleanup on the Piscataway Park shoreline in collaboration with Accokeek Foundation/National Colonial Farm. The amount of trash removed inspired the staff to make it an annual event. After five years of growth the cleanup expanded to the entire Potomac Watershed, which includes the sizeable area that drains into the Potomac River in addition to the immediate shoreline. The concern for the health of the whole watershed sparked the proposal of the Trash Free Potomac Watershed Initiative.

This Initiative consists of key components and programs aiding in the vision of a trash free watershed by 2013. One of these components, The Potomac Watershed Treaty, is a tangible representation of the commitment all residents of the Potomac Watershed have pledged to the 2013 goal. Presently, 63 signatures of area elected officials adorn the treaty (including the Commissioners from Fulton and Somerset counties), promising to, "dramatically improve the enjoyment of the rivers and streams of the Potomac Watershed."

On March 31st and April 1st 2007, 402 sites in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia were registered with the Annual Potomac Watershed Cleanup. As the largest regional event of its kind, 8,270 volunteers removed 237.54 tons of trash in two days. The 2007 contribution brings the 19-year total to an impressive 50,000 volunteers removing 1,467 tons of trash with the help of over 300 partner organizations, businesses, and government agencies!

Potomac River Watershed Trash Treaty

The Trash Free Potomac Watershed Initiative Student Action Committee

 Adopt A Highway

 Roads in Montgomery County that have a number associated with them, such as MD355 for Rockville
 Pike, are State roads. The County's Adopt A Road program refers organizations who wish to adopt a
 State road to the Maryland State Highway Administration's (MSHA) Adopt A Highway program. 

What You Can Expect When It Snows 

County snow fighers begin their job as soon as snow is predicted.  They pre-treat major roads with salt brine, a solution of salt and water, before the snow begins to fall.  Salt brine prevents ice and frost from forming and makes snow removal easier.  The use of salt brine also reduces the amount of salt needed to treat pavement following a snowfall.

During the snowfall, about 1,000 lane miles of primary (arterial roads connecting subdivisions or business districts) and secondary roads (main collector streets through subdivisions) are continuously treated and kept in "bare pavement" condition.  This ensures that, in case of an emergency, every County resident is within one-half mile of a cleared road.  As snow accumulations reach 3 inches, plowing operations begin adn all attention remains focused on primary roads to ensure emergency access.

When It Snows... (pdf 800kb) Is a handy guide that explains the County's snow removal action plan and lists useful snowstorm contacts.

For delays, closings and other Information visit: www.montgomerycountymd.gov/snow

 QUESTIONS?

 Check the list of Frequently asked questions that we receive about the program.  If you have other  
 questions or concerns please Email us or call at 240.777.7155.

For information on recycling visit: Department of Environmental Protection/Division of Solid Waste

Suggestions, comments, or questions on the program?
Email us at mcdot.outreach@montgomerycountymd.gov or call 240.777.7155.