Without Highways of Their Own, Companies Eager to Adopt

Keeping roadways clean has become a popular cause, evidenced by the waiting list of more than 250 companies eager to adopt and maintain two-mile stretches of highway in Orange County.

All 206 miles of the eligible roads have sponsors, and “orphans” are rare, making Orange County’s Adopt-a-Highway program one of the most successful in the state.

“We’ve never had a problem finding good, reliable sponsors in Orange County,” said Russ Snyder, a spokesman for Caltrans in Sacramento. “They know if they’re not doing a good job, they can easily be replaced.”

One of the reasons for the program’s popularity here, officials say, is that most of Orange County’s highways run through densely populated areas. As a result, businesses that post “adoption” notices have much higher visibility here than in counties like San Bernardino and Riverside, which have dozens of eligible roadways through remote areas that have gone unsponsored for years.

“We like to call it recognition, but of course some businesses regard the signs as a valuable advertising tool,” said Bob Gates, coordinator of the Adopt-a-Highway program in Orange County. “They’re getting at least 300,000 cars passing by that sign every day, after all.

“We have people waiting three or four years for something to open up,” Gates said.

Last year, the county’s 103 Adopt-a-Highway sponsors paid for the removal of enough trash to fill a line of dump trucks 12 miles long. In addition, 17 community groups and businesses removed graffiti and planted flowers along various roads. Officials estimate the total savings to county taxpayers at $600,000 or more.

Companies and community groups that adopt a highway agree to pay for bimonthly litter pickup along their sections for two years. The service costs about $300 a month. Their names and logos are then posted by Caltrans on blue-and-white, 4-foot-by-6-foot road signs.

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Besides recognizing those who are paying for litter pickup, graffiti removal and landscaping, the signs are advertisements on state roads where regular billboards are forbidden.

Managers at Auto Trader Magazine in Santa Ana began taking advantage of the program when they adopted a busy stretch of highway in 1991. The company has since become the county’s largest sponsor, responsible for 16 Adopt-a-Highway miles on five freeways.

Company spokeswoman Brooke Nelson said the benefits have been twofold.

“Of course you want as many people to see your signs as possible, so having them on busy roads is a real bonus,” she said. “But seeing those signs makes us feel good too.”

Caltrans usually limits to one or two the number of adoptions each business can make, Gates said, but exceptions are made for sponsors that “are particularly conscientious and reliable.”

The state agency also makes sure the sponsors keep up their end of the deal. Since the Orange County program began in 1990, seven sponsors have been kicked out. With so many companies waiting to participate, Caltrans can afford to be choosy, Gates said.

“It’s a commitment,” he said. “We don’t have to grab the first person who offers to do it.”

Orange County’s program is also more strict than those in other parts of the state. Sponsors are required to contract the cleanup work rather than hold companywide “litter days,” which can be sporadic.

The result is cleaner roads, Gates said, and that may contribute to the program’s growing popularity.

“It’s easy to get people to sponsor something that looks good,” he said. “Our highways overall are very clean.”

A few prospective sponsors are on waiting lists for specific two-mile stretches of road.

Ruby’s Diner has been waiting for a particular spot on Pacific Coast Highway for six years, passing up “countless” other choices, Gates said. The restaurant already maintains a section on the Orange Freeway near its Yorba Linda location.

Marketing Director Valerie Schepens said the company prefers to adopt roads that are “as close to the restaurants as possible” so that the recognition signs correspond to its diner locations.

“It shows the community, hey, Ruby’s is pitching in here,” Schepens said. “And then if five seconds later you’re driving by a Ruby’s Diner, who knows? It may inspire you to stop.”

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Spotless Record

Since its inception in 1990, Orange County’s Adopt-a-Highway program has become one of the most popular in the state and has about 250 organizations on the waiting list. Fast facts:

* First stretch of highway adopted: MacArthur Boulevard between Pacific Coast Highway and Corona del Mar Freeway

* First sponsor: McLaren Environmental Engineers, June 1990

* Cost of adoption: About $300 a month

* Length of contract: Two years, with renewal option

* Average wait to adopt a stretch of Santa Ana or San Diego freeway: Three to four years

* Business waiting longest: Ruby’s Diner, on waiting list since 1991 for a PCH vacancy

* Business in the program longest: MacLean Irvine Real Estate, maintaining same two-mile stretch on PCH in Newport Beach since June 1990

* Adopt-a-Highway signs on O.C. roads: About 200

* State highway miles in O.C.: 250, with 44 miles unsuitable for adoption because of unsafe roadside conditions

* Dirtiest highway sections: Costa Mesa (55) Freeway, from 19th Street in Costa Mesa to Santa Ana Freeway interchange; San Diego Freeway, from 55 interchange to El Toro Y

* Ineligible sponsors: Elected or appointed government officials, political action committees, political candidates and campaign organizations

Source: Caltrans; Researched by BONNIE HAYES / For The Times