Planting Along County Trunk Highways

Purpose

To enhance and beautify the right-of-way along 538 miles of Dane County Trunk Highways.

Policy

The Dane County Highway and Transportation Department, with cooperation from the County Parks Department, proposes to plant approximately 3,000 seedling trees and shrubs of different varieties on the County's highway system each year beginning in 1988. Plantings shall be placed each spring at sites selected by the department after consultation with the Parks Department on the suitability of the proposed sites and varieties that will produce the best growth and visual results. Adjacent land owners will also be notified of the proposed plantings and will be asked to comment on their types and locations. The sites of the plantings will be clearly marked and mapped so that normal roadway mowing will not destroy them. The Parks Department will be asked to assist in seed bed site preparations, using equipment designed for the job.

The plantings will not be placed at the following locations for safety and planting longevity reasons:

At intersection vision corners.
Clear zone areas along the highway as defined by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials as highways with design speeds exceeding 40 MPH.
In areas of proposed future highway improvement projects that would necessitate removal of plantings within a 10-year period.
In roadway medians where the height of certain plantings may block driver visions at such locations as intersections and vehicle crossovers.
At locations that would interfere with roadway clearing operations during the winter season.
Drainage swales or ditches.
Over underground utility lines or under overhead utility transmission lines.

Additional Data

The Parks Department does not water plantings after placement. They experience approximately 50% survival on the plantings they do each year. Our plantings may require some watering if we experience a very dry summer, and we would then perhaps substitute watering for mowing time.

This policy was adopted by the Dane County Transportation Committee at its meeting
on September 21, 1987.