Stewardship of Highway Medians


Overview

On long drives, I'm often considering the long, ecologically dead, expanses of grassy median, and wondering if they could be rewilded in a cost-effective way. 

Big Questions

What would it take to turn all of the highway medians in Massachusetts into to native plant zones that support insects and wildlife?

Is there a way to do this is a cost-neutral or cost-saving way for the state?

Multitude of Little Questions

Regulations & Safety

What are the regulations surrounding highway medians? Are there reasons why it needs to be all grass? For example, how much flat grass do you want on the median so you can see deer before they run into the road?

Where can wyou put trees so speeding drunk drivers won't run into them?

Cost

How much does it cost to maintain grass medians?

What are costs for rewilding medians? Do you need to seed them? What plants do you get if you just stop mowing? Are they all invasive?

Quantification

How much land exists in highway medians?

How much is flat vs. ditches vs. hills?

How much already has trees?

What are the properties of the regions with trees?


Possible Research Directions

No mow zones along Rt 7 in VA 

Pollinator Habitat zones in MD along US 70 or 76.


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