ROADSIDE CHANGE AND IMPACT ALONG NORTH CAROLINA'S 75,000 ROAD MILES

A new roadside maintenance philosophy that attempts to maintain the highway system in as near original conditions as will be permitted by age, normal deterioration and changing traffic conditions is described. Significant design changes have been made that greatly improve roadside maintenance programs. These changes include maintaining flatter slopes adjacent to the travelway as well as cut slopes of drainage channels; drainage berms across and down the back of cut slopes are now commonplace; the use of low growing shrubs and plants around bridge ends will ultimately reduce maintenance; ditches are receiving appropriate treatments to minimize erosion; the use of silt detention basins, ditch checks and silt fences permit newly constructed projects to stabilize with time. North Carolina is developing a maintenance management system which will plan work quantities and cost of annual maintenance program by "line item activity" on both a county and statewide basis. Maintenance of unpaved shoulders is noted as being the highest cost maintenance activity of all maintenance other than resurfacing. Revised mowing procedures and herbicide treatments are discussed in detail. It is concluded that successful mowing operations will ultimately rely on the development of an economical low growing grass. If a low growing grass were established on the primary highway system, a direct maintenance cost reduction would be possible.

• Corporate Authors:

  Scranton Publishing Company

  434 South Wabash Avenue
  Chicago, IL  United States  60605
• Authors:
  • Adams, M C
• Publication Date: 1977-11

Media Info

• Features: Tables;
• Pagination: p. 30
• Serial:
  • Rural and Urban Roads
  • Volume: 15
  • Issue Number: 11

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Data collection; Drainage; Erosion; Herbicides; Maintenance management; Mowing; Road shoulders; Roadside improvement; Silts; Slopes; Soils; Traffic
• Uncontrolled Terms: Maintenance costs
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Hydraulics and Hydrology; Maintenance and Preservation; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00167873
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 26 1978 12:00AM