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19-493: The program originated in the 1980s when James Evans, an engineer for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), saw debris flying out of a pickup truck bed. Litter cleanup by the city was expensive, so Evans sought the help of local groups to sponsor the cleaning of sections of the highway. The efforts of Billy Black, a TxDOT public information officer, led to quarterly cleanup cycles, volunteer safety training,

38-546: A county-by-county basis. Functional divisions and offices headquartered in Austin provide administrative and technical support to the districts. Every month, TxDOT publishes Texas Highways , a magazine aimed at showcasing various aspects of the state, often by providing interesting travel information on a specific stretch of highway (or highways) in the state. TxDOT also publishes the annual Texas Travel Guide , which offers points of interests for all regions of Texas. Horizon

57-784: A statewide advertising campaign. The phrase was prominently shown on road signs on major highways, as well as in television, radio, and print advertisements. The slogan is still in use and remains very popular. In 1991, the Legislature combined the State Department of Highways and Public Transportation, the Department of Aviation, and the Texas Motor Vehicle Commission to create the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). In 1997,

76-646: Is a Texas state government agency responsible for construction and maintenance of the state's immense state highway system and the support of the state's maritime, aviation, rail, and public transportation systems. TxDOT previously administered vehicle registration prior to the creation of the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles in November 2009. The agency has been headquartered in the Dewitt C. Greer Building in Austin since 1933. The Texas Legislature created

95-447: Is assisted by one deputy director, Brandye Hendrickson. The department is organized into 25 geographical districts and 34 divisions. TxDOT is one of the state's largest departments in terms of the number of subordinate offices – it maintains 25 geographical districts throughout the state. The large number of departments is needed due to the large size of the state, the widely varying climate and soil conditions affecting public roads, and

114-650: Is the only U.S. State without an Adopt-a-Highway program, but has a similar program called " Green Up ," where the cleanup is done by community residents. In 1989, California became the 20th state to develop a highway litter control program when the California Department of Transportation began administering the Adopt-A-Highway program for state highways. The program distinguishes between volunteer adoptions and sponsored adoptions. As of 2021, more than 120,000 California residents have participated in

133-661: The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that any attempt to bar the Klan from participation in the Adopt-a-Highway program on the basis of the group's purpose is a violation of the First Amendment . The Supreme Court declined to hear the case, so the ruling stood. In 2001, South Dakota denied participation to a gay and lesbian organization. Governor Bill Janklow eventually allowed the group to participate but had sponsor names removed from all adopt-a-highway signs in

152-556: The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles was created by the state legislature, taking over some functions from TxDOT. In 2016, the Texas A&;M University Press published MILES and MILES of TEXAS; 100 Years of the Texas Highway Department . TxDOT has approximately 12,000 employees. Marc Williams has served as its executive director since 2021. Williams had served as deputy executive director since 2015. He

171-680: The Adopt-a-Highway program. In 2009, the state of Missouri renamed a section of highway after Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel , because it had been adopted by a neo-Nazi group. Heschel had fled the Nazis' advance in Europe and became a prominent theologian and civil rights advocate in the United States before his death in 1972. Rabbi Heschel's daughter opposed this decision. In 2012, the International Keystone Knights of

190-682: The KKK submitted an application to adopt a stretch of Georgia State Route 515 . The Georgia Department of Transportation denied the application, citing safety concerns and the hate group's history. In 2012, PennDOT accepted an Adopt-A-Highway sponsorship along a portion of Interstate 376 in Pittsburgh from a local strip club located in Downtown Pittsburgh . According to PennDOT officials, strip clubs are permitted, along with any other business, to sponsor such projects, since it keeps

209-523: The Texas Highway Department in 1916 to administer federal highway construction and maintenance. In 1975, its responsibilities increased when the agency merged with the Texas Mass Transportation Commission, resulting in the formation of the State Department of Highways and Public Transportation. In 1986, the department started using " Don't Mess with Texas " as its slogan to reduce littering on Texas roadways, as part of

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228-542: The differing needs of the local populace (urban vs. suburban vs. rural). In 2010, TxDOT was reorganized into four regions, North, South, East, and West. The regions are designated as Regional Support Centers. The number of districts remained the same. Each district, managed by a district engineer, is responsible for the design, location, construction, and maintenance of its area transportation systems. Local field offices within districts are known as area offices, and many districts also have separate maintenance offices, usually on

247-483: The issuing of reflective vests and equipment, and the posting of adopt-a-highway signs. In 1985, the Tyler Civitan Club became the first group to volunteer, adopting two miles along U.S. Route 69 just north of Loop 323 between Tyler and Interstate 20 . The program proved to be very successful and has since spread to 49 states, Puerto Rico , Canada , New Zealand , Australia , and Japan . Vermont

266-698: The pre-existing Texas Turnpike Authority (TTA) was divided into two successor agencies: the North Texas Tollway Authority took responsibility for TTA assets in four North Texas counties, while the Turnpike Authority Division of Texas DOT was given jurisdiction over toll facilities in the rest of the state. In 2005, as a result of House Bill 2702 the rail oversight functions of the Texas Railroad Commission were transferred to TxDOT. In 2009,

285-636: The program had to uphold the groups' rights to participate, public outcry and repeated destruction of its sign was a cause of concern. In November 2000, the section of highway was designated as the Rosa Parks Freeway after the famous civil rights figure. KKK sponsorship was later dropped from the program for the group's failure to fulfill its obligations, and the Missouri Department of Transportation adopted specific criteria to prohibit hate groups from future participation. However,

304-404: The program to remove litter, plant trees and wildflowers, removing graffiti, and clearing vegetation along over 15,000 shoulder miles (24,000 shoulder km) of roadside. Some states, such as Nevada , allow both Adopt-a-Highway and Sponsor-a-Highway programs. In both programs, an organization that contributes to the cleanup is allowed to post its name. However, while an adopting organization provides

323-532: The roads clean and saves taxpayers money. Despite the sponsorship, the program does not send strippers to clean the roads, but rather sends workers from the state paid for by the club to clean the highways. Economically, the program may be viewed as a way of getting around regulations prohibiting billboards next to a highway and on a per-view basis, it is more economical than billboards. Texas Department of Transportation The Texas Department of Transportation ( TxDOT / ˈ t ɛ k s . d ɒ t / )

342-582: The state. In January 2005, the American Nazi Party adopted a stretch of the rural Sunnyview Road NE outside Salem , Oregon . Two signs were put up along the road that bore the names of the American Nazi Party and National Socialist Movement . The signs, which cost $ 500 and were almost immediately subject to vandalism , have since been removed. The American Nazi Party's chair, Rocky J. Suhayda, claimed to have no association with

361-492: The volunteers who do the litter pickup, a sponsoring organization instead pays professional contractors to do the work. Because of safety concerns, the latter is more typical in highways with high traffic volumes. The Adopt-A-Highway program allows any organization to participate, which became a point of controversy when the Ku Klux Klan adopted a portion of Interstate 55 just south of St. Louis, Missouri . While legally

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