Evaluation Approach for Two-Lane Undivided Highway Green Landscape

Two-lane undivided highway green landscape is an important part of a two-lane highway system to provide landscape scenic view and other functions such as soil stability enhancement capability in slope embankment area, and environmental ecologic protection capability in roadside area. In order to have two-lane undivided highway green landscape perform to a level of good quality, adequate maintenance should be routinely performed. Thus, field survey activities should be carried out to evaluate the quality of two-lane undivided highway green landscape. Traditionally, green landscape is evaluated based on the landscape scenic view quality without considering the functional quality. This paper summarizes a research project to develop evaluation procedures and models for two-lane undivided highway green landscape evaluation. The main evaluation indices considered in the evaluation procedures and models are soil stability enhancement capability in slope embankment area, and environmental ecologic protection capability in roadside area. In addition, landscape scenic view quality is another important factor that affects green landscape quality. The main purpose of the models is to convert evaluation indices to an overall quality measure, representing the overall quality of the two-lane undivided highway green landscape. The conversion is based on multi-variable regression models and expert opinion survey models. Field data were collected by field surveyors that collected index data and a panel that provided subjective ratings for green landscape in the areas of slope embankment and roadside. Both data sets were used for regression analysis and modeling purposes. On the other hand, expert opinion was conducted to obtain subjective opinion on model weight. The models developed through the methods stated previously were validated by the objective and subjective methods. The validation results show strong correlation between the subjective evaluation and objective evaluation, meaning the models are effective and reasonable. In last 12 months, these models have been used in practical applications and have been proved that these models have good applicability.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AFB40 Landscape and Environmental Design
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Yuan, Li
  • Lu, Jian
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 91st Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2012-1-22 to 2012-1-26
• Date: 2012

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 13p
• Monograph Title: TRB 91st Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers DVD

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Embankments; Environmental impacts; Evaluation; Landscape design; Mathematical models; Regression analysis; Roadside; Slope stability; Two lane highways
• Subject Areas: Design; Environment; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; I15: Environment; I20: Design and Planning of Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01365925
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 12-0764
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Mar 21 2012 10:50AM