SAFETY, HEALTH, AND WELFARE THROUGH ROADSIDE DEVELOPMENT CONNECTICUT TURNPIKE
THE CONNECTICUT TURNPIKE WILL PRESENT TO VIEW A CONSTANTLY CHANGING SCHEME AND PATTERN OF LIVING THROUGHOUT ITS ENTIRE LENGTH. ALONG ITS COURSE THERE ARE THREE DISTINCT AREAS: INDUSTRIAL AND URBAN, RESIDENTIAL, AND RURAL. THE IMPACT OF THIS HIGHWAY UPON THE ADJACENT POPULATION WILL BE CONSIDERABLE. ROADSIDE DEVELOPMENT WILL HAVE A MATERIAL EFFECT ON THE ADJACENT LANDOWNERS AND COMMUNITIES. ROADSIDE DEVELOPMENT HAS BECOME AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE OVER-ALL DESIGN. THE APPROACH TO LANDSCAPE PLANTING GIVES MAJOR CONSIDERATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING FACTORS: (1) SAFETY: HIGHER DEVELOPED SPEEDS DICTATED THE NEED FOR ADDITIONAL ENGINEERING AND SAFETY FEATURES SUCH AS SIGHT LINES, SCREENS, AND STOPPING SIGHT DISTANCES. (2) SCREENS: THE HIGHWAY AND ADJACENT PROPERTY ARE SEPARATED THROUGH USE OF PLANTING BARRIERS. (3) SOUND ATTENUATION: PLANTING IS USED TO REDUCE ROADSIDE NOISE AND CONFUSION FROM THE HIGHWAY AND ADJACENT AREAS. (4) GLARE: SCREENS FOR OPPOSING TRAFFIC WILL BE PROVIDED. (5) MONOTONY: THE NEED FOR AN ATTRACTIVE, SCENIC ROUTE HAS NOT BEEN OVERLOOKED. (6) MAINTENANCE: ECONOMICAL USE OF MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT HAS BEEN PLANNED. THE MILE- BY-MILE INVENTORY REQUIRED THAT ANY EXISTING PLANT MATERIAL BE THOROUGHLY CHECKED AS TO THE FEASIBILITY OF SAVING THIS MATERIAL. A NUMBER OF AREAS WERE FOUND WHICH ARE AT PRESENT SERVING AS SCREENS BETWEEN THE ADJACENT PROPERTY AND THE RAILROAD, AND THE LOCATION OF THE HIGHWAY. IN MANY CASES, THE CONTRACTING ENGINEERS WORKED VERY CLOSELY WITH THE ROADSIDE-DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANTS TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT EXISTING SCREEN AREAS WOULD REMAIN AND THAT ALL DRAINAGE AND CONSTRUCTION PROBLEMS WOULD NOT MAR THESE AREAS. SIGHTLINE CONDITIONS WERE GIVEN TOP PRIORITY AND NO EXISTING OR PROPOSED PLANTING WILL BE ALLOWED WITHIN THIS ZONE. A GREAT PORTION OF THE CONNECTICUT TURNPIKE IS ON FILL AND THROUGH URBAN AND RESIDENTIAL AREAS. THE AREAS AVAILABLE FOR SCREEN PLANTING ARE LIMITED. IN ADDITION, CONNECTICUT FILL IS VERY SANDY. BECAUSE OF THESE FACTORS, MOST OF THE SCREEN AND SOUND ATTENUATION PLANTINGS WILL CONSIST OF A MAJORITY OF EVERGREEN TREES, INTERSPERSED WITH MAJOR DECIDUOUS TREES. PLANTING IN THE CUT AREAS WILL REQUIRE AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT APPROACH. CUT AREAS HAVE AN ADDITIONAL PROBLEM IN THAT ANY PLANTING AT THE TOP OF A SLOPE ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY WOULD TEND TO ENCOURAGE ICING OF THE HIGHWAY IN WINTER WEATHER, ESPECIALLY IF EVERGREEN TREES ARE USED. BECAUSE OF THIS FACTOR, SHRUB BEDS WILL BE USED WITH A MODERATE AMOUNT OF DECIDUOUS TREES. WHERE EVERGREEN TREES ARE REQUIRED, THE PLANTING WILL BE SET BACK FROM THE TOP OF THE SLOPE IN ORDER TO PREVENT WINTER SHADOWS BEING CAST ACROSS THE HIGHWAY. BETWEEN GREENWICH AND BRANFORD THE TURNPIKE PARALLELS AND RUNS ADJACENT TO THE NEW HAVEN RAILROAD. BECAUSE OF THE PROXIMITY OF THE RAILROAD TO THE TURNPIKE, LOCOMOTIVE HEADLIGHTS MIGHT CAUSE CONFUSION AND GLARE TO THE MOTORIST. THEREFORE, IT IS IMPERATIVE TO SCREEN THIS OFF. PLANTINGS WILL AVOID THE INTRODUCTION OF HIGHWAY SHADOWS, GIVING THE APPEARANCE OF MOVING OBSTACLES OR ILLUSIONARY EFFECTS. WIND- TUNNEL EFFECTS WILL BE AVOIDED. PLANTINGS CLOSE TO THE HIGHWAY MAY RESULT IN A TROUGH WHICH, WHEN LOCATED ON SIDE SLOPES ADJACENT TO VALLEYS, CAUSE A QUICKENING OF THE FLOW OF AIR. UP DRAFTS THUS CREATED MIGHT RESULT IN LOWERING THE PAVEMENT SURFACE TEMPERATURE TO A POINT OF FREEZING WHILE APPROACH SECTIONS WOULD REMAIN CLEAR OF ICING.
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Supplemental Notes:
- No 496, pp 33-44, 13 FIG. 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.
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Authors:
- Perkins, E T
- Stelling, A C
- Wells, N M
- Publication Date: 1957
Media Info
- Media Type: Digital/other
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Serial:
- Highway Research Board Roadside Development Committee Reports
- Publisher: Highway Research Board
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Design; Excavations; Fills; Glare; Headlamps; Highway design; Highway safety; Planting; Roadside; Screenings; Shrubs; Traffic noise; Trees; Vegetation
- Subject Areas: Design; Environment; Highways;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00205102
- Record Type: Publication
- Files: TRIS, TRB
- Created Date: Nov 22 1971 12:00AM