Inventory helps DOT track its scenic roadways
Aesthetic considerations have always been a factor in the development, maintenance and management of Michigan trunklines. Consequently, the Michigan State Transportation Commission adopted an Aesthetics Policy, which identifies the Michigan Department of Transportation’s (MDOT’s) commitment to preserve, protect and enhance aesthetic resources along trunklines.
In furtherance of that policy, last fall MDOT completed a statewide inventory of its trunkline system to identify aesthetic project opportunities and potential new Scenic Heritage Routes. The inventory was undertaken as part of the Transportation Enhancement and Heritage Route programs, under which MDOT manages approximately 10,000 miles of roads in the state’s trunkline system, including all interstate, U.S. and Michigan designated routes. The Transportation Enhancement Program distributes federal surface transportation funds for non-motorized facilities, transportation aesthetics, historic preservation, water quality and reduction of wildlife mortality. The Heritage Route Program designates and protects scenic, historic and recreational segments of trunkline.
Michigan has hundreds of miles of trunkline with significant scenic quality, which could be endangered by development and management threats. The Scenic Heritage Route designation helps protect the resources within and adjacent to the trunkline rights-of-way. Additionally, it benefits MDOT and local communities by increasing the potential to expand Michigan’s eligibility for federal Scenic Byway funding, which is available to implement aesthetic projects on a designated Scenic Heritage Route.
The inventory identified trunklines that either met the scenic criteria for the designation of a Scenic Heritage Route or could meet the criteria if scenic improvements were implemented. Inventory criteria included the need for the route to have a homogeneous or complementary character for a reasonable uninterrupted length with a logical beginning and ending. An inventory of land use and topography helped determine if a dominant landscape character provided travelers a substantial opportunity to view and appreciate the distinctive landscape features of the region. Visual quality and compositional merit of the road, the immediate right-of-way, and views of the adjacent landscape were determined by considering the vividness, uniqueness and unity of the landscape elements. For example, a view of a Great Lake ranked particularly high.
The team performed a visual survey of 9,725 miles of trunkline routes, identifying 2,158 aesthetic improvement opportunities comprising 1,149 landscape treatment projects; 261 structure removal or improvement projects; 102 streetscaping projects; and 31 additional scenic turnout projects.
After the fieldwork was under way, MDOT provided teams with TransCAD transportation mapping software so they could map the physical locations of aesthetic project opportunities and Scenic Heritage Route candidates. The teams entered field data into a TransCAD database file and submitted final versions of the maps to MDOT for easy reproduction and distribution.
Given the large number of recommended projects and limited financial resources, MDOT coordinated with its regional offices and transportation service centers to set priorities for implementation. Money for aesthetic enhancements comes from MDOT’s Roadside Development Unit; the federal Transportation Enhancement Program; and the Federal Scenic Byways Program; as well as through funds for new trunkline construction/improvements.
This article was written by Paul Gruner, Woolpert, Cincinnati; Mark Sexton, Woolpert, Dayton; and Bryan Armstrong, enhancement program coordinator MDOT. For more information, contact the authors at [email protected]; [email protected] or [email protected].
