Kenosha County starts Adopt‑a‑Highway program; county outlines application process and responsibilities

Kenosha County highways staff told the Public Works Department Committee they launched an Adopt‑a‑Highway program with a kickoff event on April 22 and encouraged civic groups and residents to sign up to care for county highway segments.

The program is for county highways only, county staff said. Interested individuals or organizations can register on the county’s Adopt‑a‑Highway webpage; staff will follow up with a required application that must be signed and returned before a group is assigned a segment.

The program requires participants to clean their assigned segment twice per year, generally between April 15 and Nov. 15. Staff said segments are roughly two miles, framed to run from intersection to intersection when possible. Sponsorships remain in effect until either the sponsor withdraws or the county determines the sponsor has failed to perform — staff said a two‑year consecutive failure to perform would be grounds to forfeit a sponsorship.

Committee members asked how many groups had expressed interest; highways staff said five or six had signed up at the kickoff and more inquiries were expected as the county promotes the program. Staff noted state highways and some municipal programs operate separately and are not part of the county program.

Why it matters: the program is a volunteer effort intended to supplement county crews’ post‑winter litter cleanup and to promote work‑zone safety awareness during the construction season.

Quotes and attributions in this article come from attendees recorded in the committee transcript.

Ending: Staff asked supervisors and committee members to help publicize the program to civic organizations and constituents.