MISSOURI'S NEW VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

The Missouri Highway and Transportation Department manages 385,000 right-of-way (ROW) acres along 32,000 highway miles. Maintaining the ROW is accomplished with one of the lowest gas taxes in the country. Starting in 1987, the highway department implemented the first phase of a new five-year maintenance plan designed to be responsive to public needs and interactive with other state agencies and groups in the public sector. The program stressed an increase in herbicide training and application, and a decrease in mowing activities. Positive results were evident in the first year of the new plan. Mowing decreased from 432,000 acres in 1986 to 348,000 acres in 1987. In 1987, mower downtime was reduced 37 percent, from 37,000 hours to 23,000 hours. Cost savings in the mowing program exceeded expectations, declining from $11 million in 1986 to $9 million in 1987. An important part to the new ROW management plan is the herbicide program. The department herbicide budget was about $846,000 in 1987, up from $656,000 the previous year. In 1988, the budget for herbicides is expected to reach $1.4 million. Also discussed in this article are some special programs which address the issue of a large-scale attitude and perception change on the part of employees and the public, and objectives for the future, especially the need in urban areas of a more tailored manmade landscape for a harmonious transition between roadways and an urban environment.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/1606878
• Corporate Authors:

  Public Works Journal Corporation

  P.O. Box 688
  Ridgewood, NJ  United States  07451
• Authors:
  • Jett, C
• Publication Date: 1988-9

Media Info

• Features: Photos;
• Pagination: p. 99-101
• Serial:
  • Public Works
  • Volume: 119
  • Issue Number: 10
  • Publisher: Hanley Wood
  • ISSN: 0033-3840
  • Serial URL: http://www.pwmag.com

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aesthetics; Attitudes; Cost effectiveness; Herbicides; Landscape maintenance; Maintenance management; Mowing; Personnel; Public relations; Right of way (Land); Roadside; Training; Urban areas; Vegetation
• Subject Areas: Design; Education and Training; Environment; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Society; I21: Planning of Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00476097
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 30 1988 12:00AM