| OTIA III State Bridge Delivery Program |
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| Web Brief (Aug 07) |
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ODOT plants native vegetation on Salem I-5 bridge project.
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Ready, set, grow!
ODOT works with a Eugenecompany to plant 35,000 trees and other native vegetation at a Salembridge program site
Though most motorists driving by probably don’t notice, sod, shrubs and trees are as important on an ODOT work site as concrete and asphalt. Like a conscientious camper, the agency’s mitigation efforts are designed to leave a site looking better than it did before construction.
ODOT is doing just that on an OTIA III State Bridge Delivery Program project in Salem—Bundle 212, Interstate 5: N. Santiam – Kuebler Boulevard—where plants and trees had to be cleared to widen seven bridges.
With the help of Eugene-based company Second Growth, the agency will plant 35,000 trees, shrubs and ground covering along the newly widened section of I-5. Many of the plants are native to the state, such as Oregon white oak, big leaf maple, snowberry and Oregon ash. Approximately 1,400 trees, as well as more than 15,600 shrubs and other vegetation, are already planted, with about 18,000 more scheduled for next year. Much of that work will be completed this winter, as many of the trees and shrubs can only be planted in cooler temperatures, when their roots are dormant.
“ODOT is continually looking for ways to help and protect the environment,” said Linda Fitzpatrick, Bundle 212’s resident construction manager with the bridge program’s management consultant, Oregon Bridge Delivery Partners. “Before work on Bundle 212 even began, we made the planting a mandatory part of the construction permit.”
The trees and plants will do more than just look nice on the side of the highway; they’ll also provide a noise and visual buffer for the surrounding properties as well as help stop erosion.
“These roadside landscapes are very important,” said Matt Koehler, a landscape architect from Cameron McCarthy Gilbert & Scheibe, the firm responsible for the landscape design on Bundle 212. “Besides helping improve the air quality and stopping erosion, dense native plantings also assist in keeping noxious weeds, such as blackberries, at bay.”
Second Growth will maintain and irrigate the trees and shrubs for an additional year after the project is finished to ensure the plants’ survival.
“We chose to use native plants because we wanted the landscape to blend with what already exists in the area,” said Jean Fodgen, Second Growth’s project manager. “Because native plants are already accustomed to the climate and conditions, it’s easier for them to thrive. Once established, these plants will require little maintenance and attention from ODOT.”
The mitigation on Bundle 212 is an example of ODOT’s environmental awareness on projects. When the original trees and shrubs were removed for construction, ODOT reused some of them in creeks to restore and create fish habitat.
“Oregon is known for its flourishing natural areas,” Fitzpatrick said, “and ODOT is working hard to keep it that way.”
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