Highway Maintenance |
Roadsides |
Landscape management |
Invasive species |
Mowing Wisconsin's roadsides |
Pollinators |
Illegal vegetation cutting and spraying
Design Principles |
Project Development |
Construction |
Maintenance
Design principles
Landscape architects incorporate design principles with horticulture, architecture, ecology and engineering as they strive to integrate the natural landscape with the built and planted environment of transportation facilities.
Landscape architecture is more than placing plants on the land for strictly aesthetic reasons. It should begin with the design of the transportation corridor and be of concern all the way through the plan development and facility construction process. Its principles should not be applied at the very end of the process as a superficial attempt to mitigate negative environmental impacts.
The Facilities Development Manual (FDM)
Chapter 27, Planting and Aesthetic Design, discusses design principles as they relate to landscape. Other design principles are identified as follows.
Highway landscaping
It involves the preservation, conservation, restoration, management of and respect for natural and built resources. It includes the natural environment, quality human development, the transportation system and cultural and historic resources.
Roadside sites
These are areas of land contiguous with highways, which are selected and developed to provide motorists with opportunities to park and rest away from mainline traffic. This includes rest areas, seasonal waysides, scenic overlooks, historical marker sites, sometimes parking turnouts or boat landings, and reserve sites.
Natural landscaping
Means preserving and restoring native plant communities. Although natural landscaping for highways is a valuable concept and has proven itself over time, it is not appropriate for all situations. Natural and informal design is appropriate in rural settings where space is adequate, but many highways have minimal roadside space. Urban highways and those impacted by development present a host of design challenges.
Function, operation and safety
The following is a list of design concerns that are essential aspects of practical highway design that cannot be ignored or omitted from the design process.
Project development
This is a multi-step process that involves plan designers, the district project manager, WisDOT landscape architects, consultants, etc. The process of plan development is explained , step by step in the Facilities Development Manual (FDM)
Construction
In the context of WisDOT landscaping operations, generally refers to seeding, sodding and planting activities. Instructions that specify how these activities are to be accomplished are found in the Standard Specifications for Highway and Structure Construction. More information about preserving, transplanting, selecting and planting woody plants is available in the Facilities Development Manual (FDM). Additional help can be found in the Construction and Materials Manual.
Standard Specifications for Highway and Structure Construction
Facilities Development Manual (FDM)
Construction & Materials Manual
Maintenance
WisDOT has a contract with each individual county to perform maintenance work on State highways. The required maintenance tasks the county forces are called upon to perform are many. The roadside maintenance tasks are identified in
Chapter 7 of the Highway Maintenance Manual (HMM). Maintenance tasks that affect safety, operation, and function take priority over aesthetic priorities. Many roadside maintenance tasks fall under aesthetics.