Which states have the best and worst freeway landscaping?

[kernals12]

Freeway landscaping is undergoing a much needed renaissance. Highway builders are doing away with the plain steel girder overpasses and flyovers and flat concrete retaining walls that dominated highways from 1950 to 1980 and putting in decorative bridges and lots of trees and plants. I'd say Arizona is doing the best




What do you guys think?

[Max Rockatansky]

Arizona has the best urban freeway landscaping by far but it's also very modern.  AZ 51 didn't used to be much to look at and I-17 on the Black Canyon Freeway still reeks of 50s Brutalism.  I wonder how well it will be maintained over time as the urban freeways in Phoenix begin to age. 

A lot of the Midwest states tend to be fairly utilitarian when it comes to freeway landscaping which is partially offset by the natural greenery of that part of the country.  California doesn't have much in the way of landscaping on freeways but older freeways from the US Route era like CA 99 and CA 160 do (especially if like Oleanders).

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Minnesota is boring. The only stretches of freeway I like looking at aesthetically are 94 in downtown St. Paul and 35 through downtown Duluth. The rebuilt overpass on I-35 at MN 97 in Forest Lake looks ugly.

[SkyPesos]

Generally, roads in the states I've been to pale in comparison to your Arizona example. But some nice landscaping I've seen include all the overpasses on Fort Washington Way in downtown Cincinnati, especially this cable stayed bridge on Main St. There's another cable stayed design on a generic steel girder overpass at I-71 and MLK interchange, when ramps were added 2 years ago. From my observations, more landscaping are done to SPUI and DDI interchanges than most other types. This one at I-270 and MO 340 is my favorite for that reason. Traffic signal placement is unique for SPUI interchanges as well.

[RobbieL2415]

If it isn't the Merritt Parkway, ConnDOT could care less.

Other losers:
NJ
RI
MA
DE
MD

[kernals12]

If it isn't the Merritt Parkway, ConnDOT could care less.

Other losers:
NJ
RI
MA
DE
MD

MA seems to be getting better recently.

Here's a bridge in Needham that was replaced a few years ago when they widened 128
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.3024994,-71.2244587,3a,75y,279.63h,109.21t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s1ja-eB4xUCTSG2mMzD2wJA!2e0!5s20191101T000000!7i16384!8i8192

And here's a new overpass that was built in Lincoln on Route 2 a few years ago
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.4490037,-71.3217746,3a,60y,322.24h,85.99t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sGE-2RNx9RMfXruhHXTLjlg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

[midwesternroadguy]

I nominate South Dakota for worst.  The landscapes are really lacking.  It pains me to think of driving across SD on I-90.  But then, I can't think of much that South Dakota is good at, other than the recent legalization of marijuana. 

[kernals12]

I nominate South Dakota for worst.  The landscapes are really lacking.  It pains me to think of driving across SD on I-90.  But then, I can't think of much that South Dakota is good at, other than the recent legalization of marijuana.

And Mount Rushmore

[Max Rockatansky]

I nominate South Dakota for worst.  The landscapes are really lacking.  It pains me to think of driving across SD on I-90.  But then, I can't think of much that South Dakota is good at, other than the recent legalization of marijuana.

And Mount Rushmore

Mount Rushmore probably is the most overrated thing in South Dakota followed closely by the Strugis Motorcycle Rally.  Conversely SD 87 is probably one of the most unique and scenic of all the State Highways, especially through Custer State Park.

[hotdogPi]

My favorite interchange in New Hampshire: I-93 exit 31, which is actually quite representative of the state. I'm not sure if it's actually landscaping, though. It's not just rural, mountainous areas – I-93 exit 3, an exurb of Boston and near Manchester, is similar.

Overall, I would say interchanges like these make NH and VT at least in the upper half of the list.

[kernals12]

My favorite interchange in New Hampshire: I-93 exit 31, which is actually quite representative of the state. I'm not sure if it's actually landscaping, though. It's not just rural, mountainous areas – I-93 exit 3, an exurb of Boston and near Manchester, is similar.

Overall, I would say interchanges like these make NH and VT at least in the upper half of the list.

Sorry, that's not landscaping.

[webny99]

I nominate South Dakota for worst.  The landscapes are really lacking.  It pains me to think of driving across SD on I-90.  But then, I can't think of much that South Dakota is good at, other than the recent legalization of marijuana.

And Mount Rushmore

Mount Rushmore probably is the most overrated thing in South Dakota followed closely by the Strugis Motorcycle Rally.  Conversely SD 87 is probably one of the most unique and scenic of all the State Highways, especially through Custer State Park.

I agree. The fact that Mount Rushmore has a parking garage blew my mind. A gravel parking lot in the middle of a field would have been closer to what I was expecting. The elevation was also surprising, I figured since it was in the Dakotas it would be more like a small or medium-sized rock face in an otherwise mostly flat landscape. I couldn't have been more wrong.

[Max Rockatansky]

I nominate South Dakota for worst.  The landscapes are really lacking.  It pains me to think of driving across SD on I-90.  But then, I can't think of much that South Dakota is good at, other than the recent legalization of marijuana.

And Mount Rushmore

Mount Rushmore probably is the most overrated thing in South Dakota followed closely by the Strugis Motorcycle Rally.  Conversely SD 87 is probably one of the most unique and scenic of all the State Highways, especially through Custer State Park.

I agree. The fact that Mount Rushmore has a parking garage blew my mind. A gravel parking lot in the middle of a field would have been closer to what I was expecting. The elevation was also surprising, I figured since it was in the Dakotas it would be more like a small or medium-sized rock face in an otherwise mostly flat landscape. I couldn't have been more wrong.

Different landscape in the Black Hills, they are some pretty unique mountains. 

[webny99]

Different landscape in the Black Hills, they are some pretty unique mountains.

Yeah, I'd go back to that area any day of the week. The Needles Highway was great.

[oscar]

One distinctive feature of highway landscaping in southern California (or at least San Diego County) is the widespread use of iceplant for slope stabilization. It doesn't look particularly attractive, but it seems to do the job.

Some people (including in the California state government outside of Caltrans) consider iceplant to be an invasive species (it was imported from South Africa), best avoided if possible. It also takes some work by Caltrans personnel to manage its iceplant slope coverings.

My home in southern California, where I grew up, had an iceplant-stabilized slope. One of my more unpleasant household chores was to keep the iceplant under control.

[sprjus4]

I'd put Texas up there.

[CoreySamson]

I don't think Texas is as good as Arizona in terms of landscaping, but their bridge design at interchanges is looking really good.

I like the Texas stars on the piers on the ramps of the western I-10/Beltway 8 interchange...
Link:

TX-288 in Lake Jackson has some nice bridge designs (plus this is now about 8 years old):
Link:

I've always appreciated the blue Texas stars on the overpasses on I-30 in Texarkana. Really livens up an otherwise average bridge.
Link:

Continuing with the star theme in Lufkin on US 59:
Link:

Then there's the abundance of arch bridges on I-69 in Houston. Always thought this section of interstate is possibly the best in Texas:
Link:

El Paso has some nice bridges over I-10 (and note the art on the walls ahead to the right):
Link:

Also, as a bonus, there's this cool art on many surface streets over the downtown freeways in Houston, but I think it's local artists, not TxDot (ignore the graffiti):
Link:

[TEG24601]

Washington is starting to have some fun with overpasses, berms, and landscaping.  The "new" eastbound I-90 exit in Issaquah (build around 2000), has leaves in the concrete. - https://goo.gl/maps/kRuXbq26U9tBTHr48


Other places they are encouraging ivy to grow on the ramps. - https://goo.gl/maps/jK3qdLo2FmcMqxrr7  https://goo.gl/maps/8iMhetYcLYQDgHnZA


However, landscaping seems to be hit-and-miss.  Usually with just some grass and trees.

[tylert120]

I think Arizona definitely is the best, by far. Pennsylvania is probably the worst.

[STLmapboy]

UT is up there. MO and IL are both middle tier. Texas is pretty good in places, as is Florida. Many of the northeastern states are pretty unremarkable.

[Rothman]

UT is up there. MO and IL are both middle tier. Texas is pretty good in places, as is Florida. Many of the northeastern states are pretty unremarkable.

Your butt's unremarkable.

[formulanone]

Florida is in a league of its own in this one, with nice year-round weather. There's lots of tropical trees and plants in the sub-urbanized interstate/highway ramps, plazas, loops, median plantings.

North Carolina does a nice job on I-95.

[CoreySamson]

Florida is in a league of its own in this one, with nice year-round weather. There's lots of tropical trees and plants in the sub-urbanized interstate/highway ramps, plazas, loops, median plantings.

North Carolina does a nice job on I-95.

I do agree with that Florida statement. I've always thought their freeway landscaping looked top-notch. I especially like the retention ponds inside loop ramps.

[roadfro]

I think Nevada has been doing a good job in this regard, especially in the last ~15 years. Each major construction project or project corridor has an aesthetic and landscaping plan that is context sensitive to the surrounding area, so there is very little repetition.

[HighwayStar]

On some level it does not really seem like a fair contest. States like Texas seem to put a fair amount of effort into making nice looking interchanges, etc. and end up with a serviceable result. But most states in the Northeast don't seem to put any effort in and yet, thanks to the climate, most of the non-urban freeways are beautified quite well by mother nature.