Dallasboi Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 Okay...I was visiting Houston this weekend for the All-Star Game.I Just had to ask you guys if anybody (Houstonians) was satisfied with the tree planting job that was done On 288 south, and is that the ultimate plan for all of the Houston freeways.While I do agree that trees and Greenery are the answer to a better quality of life and enviroment ,I think Houston should have sat down and planned it out more.To me....(and I don't know everything) it seems randomly done with no oversite on the finished product 100 different breeds of trees. To me it Makes the freeway all the way to Pearland look littered with weeds. So What I'm asking is was this a ultimate plan or was this rushed for the All-Star weekend?....Just Curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssullivan Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 It was planned that way, and not rushed for the NBA All Star Weekend. The original planting on those trees happened about 18 months ago. More recently a new section of trees was added, extending the plantings up to the US 59 interchange.TxDOT has a project in the Houston area called (IIRC) the Green Ribbon Project. There are master landscaping plans for all the freeways included in this. They actually do work with professional landscape designers for determining what gets planted where -- it's not a case of just randomly plopping some trees in the ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bachanon Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 i read somewhere that the trees chosen are what will best assimilate to the given environment. the beauty of this project may not be realized for a decade or more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 Yes, each freeway is supposed to have its own theme for trees. Like the pines up 59 at BW8.But those palms from 610 to Scott St. look like hell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Great Hizzy! Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 Yes, each freeway is supposed to have its own theme for trees. Like the pines up 59 at BW8.But those palms from 610 to Scott St. look like hell. Very true. Although, the palms hugging the interchange at 45 south and the South Sam Houston are still in great shape. I wonder why the disparity? Plus, you HATE palms anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 I wonder why the disparity?The "North of I-10" freeze line? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssullivan Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 Were they all planted at the same time?The ones at the BW8 interchange also have a little more room to grow. The ones lining the freeway between 610 and Scott are sandwiched in a narrow patch of grass between the freeway and frontage road, which may also have something to do with it.If you look all over the city, the most successful freeway plantings have been in larger, open areas in interchanges, and in wide medians like 288. The ones in the narrow medians between frontage roads and main freeway lanes haven't fared nearly as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmainguy Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 (edited) Dallasboi: The next time you're in town, drive through the610-290 interchange. I think that's what we ultimatly want freeway intersections to look like: thick, lush, low-maintenance native plantings. Edited February 21, 2006 by nmainguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 narrow patch of grass between I think you just figured it out.Water.All the water runs off near Scott into the street.Near the major intersections at the Beltway, there is actually grass and more room for water to soak in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smartalek Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 It was planned that way, and not rushed for the NBA All Star Weekend. The original planting on those trees happened about 18 months ago. More recently a new section of trees was added, extending the plantings up to the US 59 interchange.TxDOT has a project in the Houston area called (IIRC) the Green Ribbon Project. There are master landscaping plans for all the freeways included in this. They actually do work with professional landscape designers for determining what gets planted where -- it's not a case of just randomly plopping some trees in the ground.My question is will all of these planting bite the dust like the wonderful plantings did at 610 and I10 interchange. With growth of outlying areas the freeways at some point will have to be widened so it stands to reason all of these plantings will be sacrificed at a later date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bachanon Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 I think you just figured it out.Water.All the water runs off near Scott into the street.this is it exactly. if you're ever in grogan's mill in the woodlands, notice the forested median on grogan's mill road, no curbs with the median lower than the grade of the road surface. this was planned for the development in order to maximize the benefit of the water run off. unfortunately, this rule no longer applies out here; however, many more of these plantings will succeed when run off is considered.also, for many deciduous trees, the canopy can only spread as far as the diameter of the root system. on the other hand, coniferous species have roots that grow as deep as they do tall, thereby requiring less surficial space to prosper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 I wonder who does the actual planting... is it volunteer labor? You'd think there'd be enough people in Houston who care about their city that they could get this done easy. I know if I were living in Houston right now and they let me, I wouldn't mind putting in a morning with a shovel and some garden gloves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeightsGuy Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 I wonder who does the actual planting... is it volunteer labor? You'd think there'd be enough people in Houston who care about their city that they could get this done easy. I know if I were living in Houston right now and they let me, I wouldn't mind putting in a morning with a shovel and some garden gloves.Trees For Houston would love to hear from you. They do a lot of the tree plantings you see around town. They are my favorite environmental non-profit:Trees for Houston Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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