Quantifying the Benefits of Roadside Vegetation

Details

• Creators:
  Ryu, Kyoeng Rok ; Im, Joowon ; Park, June Young ; Shamshiri, Alireza ; McCullough, Steven Tanner ; Somani, Shikha
• Corporate Creators:
  University of Texas at Arlington. Department of Civil Engineering
• Corporate Contributors:
  Texas Department of Transportation. Research and Technology Implementation Office ; United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Air quality
  • Before and after studies
  • Life cycle costing
  • Pilot studies
  • Roadside flora
  • Sustainable development
  • Vegetation
• Publication/ Report Number:
  FHWA/TX-25/0-7162-1
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Corporate Publisher:
  Texas. Department of Transportation
• Abstract:
  Transportation agencies and state DOTs have established roadside vegetation programs to enhance sustainability, quality of life, and the aesthetics of the transportation systems. However, a comprehensive toolkit to quantify the benefits and risks of various roadside vegetation types and applications has been largely lacking across the nation, including Texas. This study introduces the Roadside Vegetation Evaluation Toolkit (RVET) for quantifying the benefits of roadside vegetation to address this gap, aiding transportation planners, environmental practitioners, and landscape designers within TxDOT in evaluating roadside vegetation. Incorporating extensive geospatial data, the RVET covers five major aspects: environmental benefits, operational and maintenance measures, lifecycle costs, public perception of roads and vegetation, and public perception of aesthetics. The RVET will assist the statewide implementation of improved roadside vegetation management within the TxDOT system, enhancing the health and safety of Texans. This study delivers a comprehensive evaluation of roadside vegetation, providing valuable insights for stakeholders through detailed measurements across five major modules.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  0-7162
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/80860/dot_80860_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 6.35 MB]
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8d7750a74dcf6379a3caa711e073bf16b3430d9075a7e9ae1ff6ead924badb5af6e04a0014bf994658c6f870f6df970c71f25070615997406e10d137020479c2