Highway Beautification Office
James K. Polk Building, Suite 400
505 Deaderick Street
Nashville, Tennessee 37243-0333
Phone: 615.741.2877
Fax: 615.532.5995
Twitter: @TDOT_Beautify
Michael McClanahan
Transportation Manager
(615) 741-0803
Michael.McClanahan@tn.gov
TDOT’s Highway Beautification Office oversees a varied group of programs intended to preserve and sustain the natural scenic beauty of Tennessee. These programs heavily invovle local community partners and participation from the public. Beautification's portfolio of programs focus on preventing litter, improving landscapes, and enhancing scenic roadways. Individual programs overseen include: Adopt-A-Highway, Keep Tennessee Beautiful, Litter Hotline, Nobody Trashes Tennessee campaign; Pollinator Habitat, Scenic Roadways, Sponsor-A-Highway, TDOT Litter Grant, and Tennessee Roadscapes.
Adopt-A-Highway is a statewide, completely free, volunteer program where individuals and groups conduct quarterly roadside cleanups along an adopted route in their community. TDOT provides cleanup supplies and personalized recognition signage along each route.
Since 1983, TDOT has annually provided Litter Grant funding to all 95 Tennessee county governments for the removal of roadside litter and litter prevention education. Over the past 40 years, TDOT's Litter Grant Program has been responsible for clearing 446,727 tons of litter from Tennessee roadsides.
TDOT's Pollinator Habitat Program was established in 2016 as a means to pursue sustainable maintenance practices on Rights-of-Way. Over time, the mission of the program grew to pursue projects that were ecologically beneficial, and which educate the public about pollinator and native vegetation topics. Today, the Partners for Pollinators Working Group meets quarterly to discuss projects amongst 4 State agencies and a bevy of local non-profits and agencies.
Launched in June 2017, TDOT's Nobody Trashes Tennessee litter prevention campaign is the State of Tennessee's official campaign to prevent littering and raise awareness about the topic of litter.
Scenic Roadways are a window into the many beautiful, historic, tasty, ecologically significant, and unique communities in Tennessee. Scenic Roadways have earned either a state or national scenic designation, and are part of programs such as the Scenic Highway System, Tennessee Parkway System, or the America's Byways Program.
Visual qualities of a place influence first impressions and enhance experiences for visitors and the travelling public. TDOT's Landscape Design Guidelines are intended to aid in improving the roadside environment and raise the level of awareness of the surrounding landscape's role in Tennessee's roadway system.