Slope Restoration on Urban Freeways

Details

• Creators:
  Cregg, Bert M.
• Corporate Creators:
  Michigan State University. Department of Horticulture
• Corporate Contributors:
  Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) ; United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Biodiversity Compost Drivers Freeways Grasses Herbaceous Perennials Highway Safety Interstate Highways Mulching Plants Shrubs Site Preparation Till Urban Areas

  More +
• Publication/ Report Number:
  SPR-1767
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States ; Detroit (Michigan)
• Edition:
  Final Report: 4/1/2017 – 12/31/2025
• Corporate Publisher:
  Michigan Department of Transportation. Research Administration
• Abstract:
  Improving the diversity of roadside plantings can provide an array of benefits including improved aesthetics, improved driver safety, and increased biodiversity. However, establishing landscape plants along roadsides can often be difficult due to a variety of soil related and other environmental factors. In an earlier trial, researchers from Michigan State University conducted a large-scale field planting along Interstate 696 in the Detroit metro area in order to identify site preparation practices and identify plant materials that were suited for roadside conditions. From the initial phase of this project MSU researchers determined that compost addition was important to aid in the establishment of landscape plants both from the perspective of improved survival as well as improved plant growth. MSU personnel also identified plant species that were well suited for highway plantings based on initial survival and growth. Here we report the continuation of this project focusing on characterizing the highway roadside environment and examining long-term (years 3-6) responses of the plant materials based on their cover and survival. We found that shrubs generally performed better along the roadside environment than herbaceous perennials or grasses. Shrubs that survived well and provided excellent cover included Diervilla, Physocarpus, contoneaster, and Cornus. Herbaceous perennials that provided excellent cover were Amsonia and hemerocallis. An examination of weather data from weather stations established along the Interstate roadside indicated that air temperatures were 3 to 4°F higher along the roadside compared to regional temperatures. There was little difference in ambient temperatures between north-facing and south-facing slopes along the freeway. A major challenge in maintaining plants along the highway roadside was weed control.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  2013-0066 Z10
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:56939147c1bb3455dcaa9a4589edb879303098f7f8cde08eb58d8419f3f758cab6b4b1ebeadca830034c05e34203fefd63900eb13037446c314b9a43fa829862
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/88718/dot_88718_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.36 MB ]