COVE R S T O R Y
TURFGRASS RESEARCH AIMS TO
IMPROVE NC ROADSIDES By Jennifer Howard Communications Specialist, NC State
NORTH CAROLINA IS HOME TO 80,000 MILES O F D E PA R T M E N T O F T R A N S P O R TAT I O N MANAGED
R O A D WAY S .
ALONGSIDE
O U R H I G H WAY S I S U S UA L LY A S H O U L D E R I N C L U D I N G G R E E N G R A S S T H AT H A S TO BE REGUL ARLY AND SAFELY MAINTAINED, A PAR TICUL AR CHALLENGE AROUND ROA D WAYS WITH MEDIAN RAILS.
Maintaining NC’s stretches of roadway grass is time-consuming, expensive, and potentially risky. Researchers with NC State’s turfgrass program are breeding and testing a low-growing, low-maintenance turfgrass that could significantly reduce the management cost and risks.
THE BENEFITS OF ROADSIDE TURFGRASS Highway vegetation is valuable for drivers and our ecosystems. Turfgrass provides a safe place for travelers to pull off roadways, reduces dust and glare, and mitigates heat from adjacent asphalt. But it also acts as an important buffer to the natural waterways near highways. Turfgrass physically and chemically filters air and road pollutants that would otherwise be washed directly into neighboring streams or lakes. To reduce the costs and risks of mechanical and chemical maintenance around median rails, NCDOT has tapped NC State turfgrass researchers for alternative turfgrass options. Zoysiagrass is a top contender.
16 North Carolina Turf gr a ss
w w w . nc t urfgra s s . or g
July / August 2021
