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Assembly to be honored for highway cleanups

A citizen’s group near Council believes one of the best cures for unsightly highway litter is prevention. That’s why members added an educational/advocacy component to their commitment to clean the shoulders of U.S. 95 in Adams County.

Yahweh 666 Warning Assembly clean eight miles of the highway, two in ITD’s District 3 and six in District 2.

The organization became part of the Idaho Adopt-A-Highway program in August 2004. Fourteen cleanup outings have removed nearly 5,000 pounds of litter from the highway.

As a community awareness project, Yahweh 666 assembled a float for the Riggins Rodeo parade, based on a “Keep Idaho Clean” theme. The float included a motorcycle covered with litter, driven by the group’s cleanup coordinator Michael O’Leary. The entry received a red ribbon.

ITD named Yahweh 666 the District 3 Adopt-A-Highway group of the year for its commitment to a cleaner U.S. 95. In recognition of the group's efforts, the transportation board will present leaders with a plaque and a clock fashioned from a replica of an Idaho license plate Thursday in Boise. The presentation will be at 9:55 a.m. at the District 3 office on Chinden Boulevard.

The statewide Adopt-A-Highway program organizes the cleaning of Idaho roadsides by volunteer groups. Those groups “adopt” a specific stretch of highway – usually two miles long – and take responsibility for keeping it clean through regular litter patrols.

More than 1,100 groups spent approximately 30,000-person hours statewide removing litter in 2005. About 50 percent of state highways have been adopted, leaving ample opportunities for other groups and individuals to become involved.

The volume of material collected from the shoulders of Idaho makes a tremendous difference in the appearance of Idaho’s highways, said statewide AAH coordinator, Sherie Sweaney.

Volunteers collected more than 2.3 million pounds of litter, resulting in a savings to the state of nearly a quarter-million dollars that can be applied to other projects that improve safety and driving conditions.

For more information about adopting a stretch of highway, contact Sweaney at (800) 443-2878.

Published 8-11-06