TUCSON, Ariz. — Celebrity adoptions may be on the rise in Hollywood, but in Tucson, a different kind of adoption has been popular for quite some time; and these bundles of joy are a mile long and four or five lanes wide.

The Adopt-A-Highway program is a nationwide community effort to clean up stretches of road on the local level. The familiar blue signs can be seen along Interstate 10 and even along less-traveled two lane roads all over Tucson.

“There are 325 groups in the program,” said Chester Pianka, a representative with the Arizona Department of Transportation's Adopt-A-Highway program.

Pianka said Tucson belongs to a district that spans from Ajo to the Cochise County border running east to west, and from 587 Interchange along I-10 to Nogales north to south.

Pianka said there are generally two types of adopters: volunteer groups and businesses. Businesses generally find a state approved contractor to do the cleanup and offer a “substantial monetary contribution” to the program.

Pianka could not give out specific donation amounts that businesses have donated. For volunteer groups, however, there is no cost to get a group’s name on the roadside sign.

“No cost, when we have an event we usually feed them, but that’s it,” said Matt Janton, the Southern Arizona representative of the 100 Club.

The 100 Club offers financial assistance to injured firefighters, police officers and their families. They also gather volunteers from the community and from local fire and police departments to help with projects.

Janton said they’ve sponsored a stretch of La Cholla Boulevard for about four years.

“We’re making sure the roads are clean,” Janton said. “When we’re out there people honk and wave.”

The program has been well received by Tucsonans eager to help out in the community. Those who sponsor a section of road initially get one mile of road in both directions.

“Originally it was two miles in one direction, but due to the popularity it’s now one mile in each direction,” Pianka said.

Groups are asked to do a minimum of two pickups a year, but the district asks it members to do four a year, Pianka said.

They are given trash bags, vests and a safety course to insure people are safe while standing alongside some of the busier roadways.

“There’s traffic to worry about, also wildlife, like killer bees and mosquitoes,” Pianka said. “Sometimes the heat is an issue.”

Pianka also said narcotics and car batteries pose a hazard to those cleaning up, so gloves are strongly suggested as well.

The Capilla Del Sol Christian Academy sponsors a stretch of La Cholla Boulevard and has been doing so for about six years, said church member Lana Lockaby, who has been spearheading their efforts for a few years now.

She said her group has been in a flux lately because there haven’t been enough people to volunteer for a cleanup day, and some of the official requirements for the project have been frustrating.

“We have to go take a class, which is kinda a drawback,” Lockaby said. “There’s a lot of juggling involved.”

Lockaby said they usually go out as a group of eight to 10 people who pair off at opposite ends of the one-mile stretch and meet up in the middle.

“When we work in pairs it doesn’t take that long. It’s an easy two hours,” Lockaby said.

Lockaby said the program is great for the kids and they like doing their part for the community.

“It’s way to keep your neighborhood looking good,” she said.

For those looking to get involved in the Tucson area, you can call 388-4232, or visit the state's Adopt-A-Highway homepage.