Roadside Naturalization And Texas Highway 190: A Comparison Between Best Practices And Plant Selection

Abstract

There is much dialog concerning the use of native plants in the roadside environment. From the Highway Beautification of Lady Bird Johnson in the 1960's to the environmental issues of today, designers are focused on ways to incorporate native plant material in the roadside. Through qualitative analysis, this thesis explores best practices for the use of native plant material in the roadside as compared with a unique roadside design in North Texas. In 2003, The North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) began design for the Texas Highway 190 Tollway. A new direction for roadside enhancement using native and adapted plant material was created by the Board of Directors of the NTTA and a design team from the engineering and planning company, HNTB. Borrowing from the Blackland Prairies of North Texas, the designers "stylized" a design concept using native and adapted plant material to create regimented landscape planting beds throughout the 29 miles of roadway. Considered the largest landscape project using native plant material in the State, the design team utilized accepted criteria for the use of native plant material and developed new criteria during the design process.