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SALT LAKE CITY — Blair Tomten has a fascination with roads and admits she probably looks at roads more than the average person.
Tomten, a Millcreek resident, is a civil engineer that designs roads for a Utah Department of Transportation contractor. That interest eventually led her to the idea of adopting a section of I-80 in the Sugar House and Millcreek area, especially after spotting garbage strewn across the sides of the freeway during daily commutes.
“I’m pretty comfortable with the UDOT website, so I decided to look it up and found out it was free to do, and so I decided a good way to get some of the trash off our highways is to adopt a segment of it,” Tomten said
Now vehicles that zoom past this 10-block section of I-80, from 1300 to 2300 East, will be driving on a section of road adopted by “Roady McRoadface.”
That odd adoption sponsor wasn’t by original design. After deciding she was going to organize a group to adopt a section of I-80, and that she didn’t want her name on it, she turned to her friends on Facebook to vote on a name. One friend suggested “Roady McRoadface,” and it won.
That suggestion is a play on an internet joke that began back in March 2016 when a British government agency asked those on the internet to vote on the name of its newest vessel. The suggestion R.R.S. Boaty McBoatface started pulling away in the competition.
The boat wound up being named the R.R.S. Sir David Attenborough, after a longtime British broadcaster. However, the joke kept popping up across the world in similar naming polls.
But what is the process for those looking to adopt a section of highway?
There are some rules to it, said Heidi Jewell, a UDOT office specialist. It starts with contacting UDOT and selecting sections from an online map before signing a contract.
Signing up for highway adoption is free and requires a minimum of three cleanups per year for two years. A group signing up must not have less than 10 people in it, and all individuals must be at least 11 years old. Children ages 11 through 15 must be under direct adult supervision.
The first cleanup, Jewell said, must be conducted within the first month of signing an agreement. UDOT provides equipment, such as safety vests and garbage bags. The department also collects all the garbage after a cleaning.
“We come and pick them up for (the group) and dispose of them,” Jewell said. “We just ask to return the unused supplies and vests back to the department and the station foreman within a week of each cleanup date.”
After the contract is fulfilled, UDOT erects a sign with the group’s name on it, she added.
Tomten hopes the unique name could help draw attention for other organizations to consider adopting sections of roadway. She's also set up the social media accounts “@mcroadface” to document the process of cleaning up the section of the freeway, which she’ll start using Sunday morning.
“It’s available, it doesn’t cost any money and anybody can do it,” she said.
