Permanent Vegetation Control Treatments for Roadsides

Control of vegetation along roadsides is required for fire prevention, adequate sight distance, facility inspection needs, reduction of invasive and nuisance weeds, roadside aesthetics, and protection of roadside appurtenances. Roadside vegetation can be controlled using herbicides, mowers, and other equipment or by permanent vegetation controls. Permanent vegetation controls are designed to prevent or significantly retard the growth of unwanted vegetation. Using a permanent vegetation control decreases the need for recurring chemical and mechanical vegetation control, thus reducing recurring maintenance costs, highway worker exposure to traffic, impacts to the environment and cultural resources, and maintenance-related delays to the traveling public. Additional advantages include maintaining the integrity of highway surfaces by controlling erosion and damage to the pavement structure from encroaching roots and water intrusion. However, permanent vegetation controls vary in their effectiveness, longevity, initial construction costs, maintenance requirements, and aesthetic values. Some treatments may also affect the safety performance of highway appurtenances, such as guardrails, cable barriers, and signs. For example, continuous asphalt or concrete may potentially result in pocketing or rupture of strong-post guardrails. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Guidelines for Vegetation Management (Guidelines), published in 2011, collected and compiled information about roadside vegetation management. Many state departments of transportation (DOTs) utilize the Guidelines in their vegetation management programs. Chapter 12 of the Guidelines cataloged a range of permanent vegetation controls (including concrete and asphalt surface treatments, mats, mulches, and competitive vegetation); however, information for some situations is missing, for example, controls for use with cable barriers. Furthermore, research and agency experience have yielded additional methods and technologies, as well as insights into the effectiveness of permanent vegetation controls and under what conditions a particular control is appropriate. Therefore, updated guidance on the selection of appropriate permanent vegetation controls is needed. The objective of this research is to produce up-to-date guidance for transportation agencies for selecting appropriate permanent vegetation controls that will be effective in preventing or significantly retarding the growth of unwanted vegetation around roadside appurtenances and along roadsides. The guidance will identify controls appropriate for new construction and for existing facilities. In addition, the guidance will describe how to select effective permanent vegetation controls that also address traveler and highway worker safety and costs of construction and maintenance, as well as minimize adverse environmental impacts. Anticipated research products are a report and a recorded webinar, video, or similar product suitable for disseminating the research results. The report should, at a minimum, include: (1) A literature review that summarizes and synthesizes information about permanent vegetation controls from peer-reviewed research, gray literature (such as the results of state DOT research and pilot projects), state vegetation control guidelines, and information collected through targeted contacts with technical experts and practitioners. (2) A compilation of permanent vegetation controls. For each treatment, the following should be provided: information on initial cost and constructability; ongoing maintenance requirements; longevity; appropriate site conditions (e.g., soils, traffic volumes, aesthetic factors); appropriate ecological and climate conditions (e.g., frostlines, precipitation, winter maintenance requirements); type of vegetation effectively suppressed; suitability for use in conjunction with the installation, repair, and replacement of common types of roadside appurtenances. (3) Recommended permanent vegetation controls for a range of roadside conditions. For each recommendation, identify supporting evidence from the literature. (4) Graphical presentation of recommended permanent vegetation controls to allow ready comparisons and to facilitate coordination of vegetation management with roadside design. The graphical presentation should also be publishable as a stand-alone document. (An example of a potential layout is the table of cable barriers provided by the Federal Highway Administration Office of Safety and available at: https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/roadway_dept/countermeasures/docs/Cable_Sep2012Saferlogo.pdf). (5) A brief summary of recommendations for additional needed updates to the Guidelines.

Record URL:
Supplemental Notes:
- Source of proposed project: California. Contract to a Performing Organization has not yet been awarded.

Language

English

Project

Status: Proposed
Funding: $200000
Contract Numbers:
Project 14-41
Sponsor Organizations:
National Cooperative Highway Research Program

Transportation Research Board
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC United States 20001

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

444 North Capitol Street, NW
Washington, DC United States 20001

Federal Highway Administration

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC United States 20590
Project Managers:
Hartell, Ann
Start Date: 20180327
Expected Completion Date: 0
Actual Completion Date: 0
Source Data: RiP Project 41634

Subject/Index Terms

TRT Terms: Aesthetics; Erosion control; Guardrails; Guidelines; Roadside; Roadside flora; Vegetation control
Identifier Terms: American Association of State Highway Officials
Subject Areas: Environment; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation;

Filing Info

Accession Number: 01634939
Record Type: Research project
Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
Contract Numbers: Project 14-41
Files: TRB, RiP
Created Date: May 18 2017 1:00AM