Highway beautification is

landscaping Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including the following: # Living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly called gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal ...

intended to enhance the attractiveness of roads, preserve scenic beauty, and control of the usage of the land near

highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It includes not just major roads, but also other public roads and rights of way. In the United States, it is also used as an equivalent term to controlled-access highway, or ...

s. This may include vegetation, irrigation, street furniture, decorative pavings, fences, and lighting. Benefits from highway beautification include reduction in driving stress, improved visual quality, and improved roadway safety, with cities citing decreases in total number of crashes after beautification projects. However, in some places, objects that may become hazards to erratic vehicles may be banned in projects, such as trees, large shrubs, boulders, dirt mounds, or concrete sections as improper landscaping can reduce visibility or increase roadway debris. Highway beautification may occur in urban, semi-urban, or rural areas. In the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, highway beautification is subject the

Highway Beautification Act In the United States, highway beautification is the subject of the Highway Beautification Act (HBA), passed in the Senate on September 16, 1965 and in the U.S. House of Representatives on October 8, 1965, and signed by the President Lyndon B. J ...

, Section 131 of Title 23,

United States Code The United States Code (formally The Code of Laws of the United States of America) is the official Codification (law), codification of the general and permanent Law of the United States#Federal law, federal statutes of the United States. It ...

(1965), commonly referred to as "Title I of the Highway Beautification Act of 1965, as Amended". The act placed restrictions on

billboard advertising A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

along highways and the removal or screening of junkyards. Ongoing maintenance of adjacent landscaping usually falls to local governments. However, organizations can be registered to ensure long-term maintenance as well.

Adopt a Highway The Adopt-a-Highway program, and the very similar Sponsor-a-Highway, are promotional campaigns undertaken by U.S. states, a few Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada, and some national governments outside Nort ...

or Sponsor-a-Highway programs or campaigns are often used by

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

to carry out many highway beautification projects by offering volunteers from organizations or individual groups to do activities such as, carrying out litter pick-ups,

invasive plant An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native speci ...

spotting, reporting, or landscape maintenance.

References

{{reflist Highways