I-25 Landscape Master Plan - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

" Design of plantings should consider snow, sak and glavel speay feom the roadway. The de- signee should also avoid winler shadow casl on Ihe roadway, especially where winler iceing condbions can exIst. " Slopes along roadways in depressed secllons should be planled witll drihs or masses of mid- level trees, sheubs oe bankcovers. Unplanled zones musl not exceed 35 teel in widtll (as measured Irom the edge 01 pavement) or 500 leel In tenglh. " Tall and mid-feveltreM should be the primary design elements, punctuated by glouplI of ac- cenl trees and wildllowers, . Masses of shrubs or banl< covers may bs used 10 b,idge gaps between groups of I,ees 10 plovide color accenl, to screen unsightly drain- age channels and along depr..ssed sections of Ihe roadway. " Along at-grade sections, planting design in- tensity should respond to what motorists can ac\ually observe feom Iheir vantage point. . Use 01 shrubs should be at local ions where they are ,equieed foe sc,eening or to back-up deciduous mid,levellrees. . Gaps belween planting masses should be seen as signilicant open spaces. These gape may be framed by Increased densities 01 trees in the back-ground. INTERCHANGES The Iollowing gene,al guidelines a,e applicable to all interchanges (except freeway to freeway) re- gardless 01 the malnline position: " All infillldll at a lIingle interchange mUst receive similar or relafed Ireatmenls which should con- ..ist 01 mld-Ievaltrees above masses 01 lower plants. " Flowering shrubs, wildflowera and glOundcover ..hen be emphasized in alllnfleld areas. " Seds of medium shrubs may be planfed perpen- dicular or diagonal 10 the dirBClion of travel alongside ramps to enabla drivers to reference onARds of movement. " A continuous mass 01 medium heightllhrubs shall be provided in the "point" or nose 01 in- fields alongside highway exit lamps 10 provide visual delinition between the ramp and the mainline (no maximum height), . Areas on the "point" 01 fIOse of Ihe Infield should be concrete peved to wOllrll tile dill- lance belween the mainline and ramp Is more Ihan 12'-15', . Maximum height oj plant materials is 18 inches In Ihe lasl1!3 01 Infields alongside highway en- tranca ramps, Where Ihe mainline passes under the allerial the infield is sloped in Ihe direction 01 the motorists who are moving al high speeds. Planting on this slope is very apparenl 10 highway users and should respond to Iheir rates 01 movement with tha level 01 detail being reduC<ld as tile speed increas- es. In add~ion, bridge structures are also highly visible and may appear quite massive in scale. " Slrive 10 inlegrate bridges with Ihe landscape through use 01 medium and/or large-scale shrubs and t,ees masssd near the abutments, " Provide trees in groups oIlhree or mOle On ill- .Ji1pJ ~..:.' lleld elopee in all lour quadrants. . Avoid planling Irees where eally evening shad- ows might cause roadway icing conditione in winter. Where the mainline pass81l over the arteriallnlleld planting at Interchanges will not be very visible to the moloring public but will be highly vislbte to 1I10se molorists on the ex;1 ramps and 10 the neigh- borhoods. Viewers w<<1 be moving at slower speeds Of be stationary. Planting design may be more de- tailed and depending on its visibility oil-sUe relate more dlrec\ly to existing plant paleltes evidant in Iha surrounding community, The tollowing general guidelines should be applied whelelhe mainline is elevated: . Choose gateway trees to minimize Ihe scale 01 an elevaled roadway and aSlIoclaled struc- tures. . Minimize srosion at the bridga abutments by de- signing the grading and landscaping 10 make use ot runott waler. .. . . . ~ &;g;I 14.