Ohio

[TempoNick]

Nothing under 752.4 also mandates ODOT to keep excessive tree growth or vegetation, either. It would be considered appropriate in urban and rural areas for grass to serve as the vegetative buffer.

Without the vegetation, I bet the sound on the other side of that Gahanna wall is unbearable. That's what happened when they put the sound wall up around me. They may have fixed it for people living along the freeway, but they ruined it for me.

But I don't think those sound walls have anything to do with actually deadening the sound. I think it's all about covering up the ugly houses so you don't have to see them from the freeway. Yes, I'm being facetious.

[Rothman]

"Oh, brother." Again, no citations were provided, and only vague statements were made. Check.

Looking through the FHWA, nothing under "NEPA" forces a DOT to mandate tree or vegetation encroachment on the right-of-way. Under the Federal Aid Policy Guide 752.4:

"Landscape development, which includes landscaping projects and other highway planting programs within the right-of-way of all federally funded highways or on adjoining scenic lands, shall be in general conformity with accepted concepts and principles of highway landscaping and environmental design."

If this was the Highlands Scenic Highway in West Virginia, considerations may need to be made on landscape or vegetation encroachment and management. A highway through central Columbus isn't going to violate "NEPA" or the FHWA. As ODOT's own guidelines and policies state, each municipality needs to submit an action plan to maintain said vegetation. If the City of Columbus (in this instance) did not, then ODOT can fault the city for allowing the vegetation to become a nuisance and have it removed.

Nothing under 752.4 also mandates ODOT to keep excessive tree growth or vegetation, either. It would be considered appropriate in urban and rural areas for grass to serve as the vegetative buffer.

You need to read what I wrote again.

Broad policy statements and even legislation are not where you're going to find the actual processes that govern what is included in a design approval document, ADPs, or PS&Es and their supporting documentation. 

My citation is simply my past few years being directly involved with project development and the fact I just had this discussion with a NYSDOT RLA just two weeks ago or so.

[Scott5114]

Assuming the references to Lady Bird are to the Lady Bird Johnson Highway Beautification Act, I just read through it (it's at 23 USC 131), and it looks like it mostly concentrates on billboard suppression. Don't see anything about landscaping in that specific law.

[Rothman]

Assuming the references to Lady Bird are to the Lady Bird Johnson Highway Beautification Act, I just read through it (it's at 23 USC 131), and it looks like it mostly concentrates on billboard suppression. Don't see anything about landscaping in that specific law.

Whether or not it was included in the actual Highway Beautification Act, to deny Lady Bird's influence on current FHWA policy regarding sustainable landscaping along highways is denying quite easily Googled history.

I mean...sure, it started with essentially bribing superintendents in Texas, but, 60 years later, DOTs have to take five seconds to check that waiver box in the environmental documentation...

But, have to say I'm supportive of NYSDOT's current efforts in this regard, though.  It is possible to plant wildflowers and support declining pollinators while maintaining a clear zone.  It's fairly cheap, too.

Not sure why people would be against it, come to think of it.  "But the clear zone!"  "Yeah, it's clear...so, why do you hate it now?"  "Because I was just indoctrinated to hate anything that sounds green without thinking any further about benefits or costs!"

[seicer]

I think NYSDOT's rural highways tend to be better landscaped than others - but some of those efforts were because of budget cuts to grass cuttings. I can't find the article that supports that, but NYSDOT found a benefit in reducing mowings of its wide right-of-ways in allowing natural grasses and wildflowers to flourish.

[GCrites]

Yeah Ohio (at least) can change grasses during projects to cut down on future mowing.

[TempoNick]

Columbus is supposedly an up and coming city. Driving along I-70, what do you see? It actually looks like a bit of an excrement hole, to be honest.

I remember being in Denver when they paid some attention to the concrete work some highways they were redoing. I'm even noticing art-deco concrete work on some of the bridges in Cincinnati. What do we get? Seas of concrete and clear-cutting what little beauty you can see along the freeways. Even something like they did along the flood wall helps dress things up.

No knock on Columbus, a fine city, but our highways are our front yard. There is no excuse for how ugly some spots look. Especially since it's the capital city.

I said something to Mayor Coleman once about beautification along I-670 because it's the gateway into town, but he blew me off.

[GCrites]

An enormous amount of Columbus' highway mileage is elevated or trenched (especially for such a flat area). Trenching you can sometimes do something with but elevated is tough. A scant amount of it is at or near the elevation of the surrounding land. That's the easiest scenario to beautify.