ROADSIDE MANAGEMENT IN NORTH CAROLINA (ABRIDGMENT)

In recent years, significant design changes have greatly improved North Carolina's ability to maintain its roadsides despite rising costs. Generally, flatter slopes are maintained near the travelway and the cut slopes of drainage channels, thus facilitating slide removal and maintenance of storm drainge systems. Drainage berms across and down the backs of cut slopes have increased their stability and thus reduced maintenance. Low-growing shrubs and plants at bridge ends reduce the effort required to keep these areas stable and presentable. Detailed erosion control contract specifications and construction standards that include permanent and life-of-contract measures increase the stability of slopes, minimize obstruction of drainage structures caused by erosion, and consequently reduce related maintenance. Ditches are being paved or lined with jate mesh or fiberglass roving to minimize erosion, thus greatly reducing or eliminating the need for back sloping and ditch pulling. Silt detention basins, ditch checks and silt fences are being left in place after a project is completed so that the project can stabilize itself in time, rather than have maintenance crews clean drainage structures and remove eroded materials from adjacent property. It is hoped that the cost of mowing these roadside areas may be reduced by the use of herbicides around guardrails in lieu of hand labor and the development of low-growing grasses. However, little can be done to reduce the cost of maintaining the state's rest area sites, since vandalism and increased public demand preclude reducing staff. On the other hand, little control costs seem to have been reduced by the placement of additional garbage containers on the state highway system.

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1977/647/647-005.pdf
• Summary URL:
  • http://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=ROADSIDE+MANAGEMENT+IN+NORTH+CAROLINA+(ABRIDGMENT)&author=M.+Adams&publication_year=1977
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0309026768
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Publication of this paper sponsored by Committee on Roadside Maintenance. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Adams, M C
• Conference:
  • 56th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board
  • Location: Washington District of Columbia, United States
  • Date: 1977-1-24 to 1977-1-28
• Publication Date: 1977

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Pagination: pp 20-23
• Monograph Title: Evaluating Bridge Structures, Pavement Maintenance, Roadside Management, Deicing Salts, Transport of Hazardous Materials
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 647
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Berms; Ditches; Erosion control; Grasses; Litter; Maintenance management; Mowing; Operating costs; Plants; Roadside; Roadside rest areas; Slope stability; Workforce
• Uncontrolled Terms: Maintenance costs
• Geographic Terms: North Carolina
• Subject Areas: Design; Environment; Highways; Marine Transportation; Terminals and Facilities;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00184726
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309026768
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-024 782
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Dec 29 1978 12:00AM