 Highway Roadsides Protect Pollinators
A multi-year effort by Team Kentucky to plant nectar-rich flowers and native plants on Kentucky’s roadsides continues to support a thriving environment of pollinators key to crop production in the commonwealth. Every June, Kentucky celebrates National Pollinator Week, which focuses on nurturing a healthy environment while maintaining safe roadsides.
Since 2015, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) crews have seeded more than 100 habitat sites, covering about 200 acres along interstates, parkways, and other state rights-of-way.
“The cultivation of these pollinator plots is one of the many ways we strive to be good stewards of our highway network,” said Transportation Secretary Jim Gray. “The habitats we create will improve our ecosystem, help plants reproduce and ultimately build a better Kentucky.”
Filled with a variety of grasses and native flowers, the colorful habitats attract birds, bees, butterflies and other creatures that drink nectar and feed off pollen, transporting grains as they move from plant to plant. This pollination helps maintain an abundant and stable food supply for humans and animals.
Drivers can see pollinator plots in many roadside areas, including fields between interstate lanes and exit ramps, roadsides adjacent to multilane parkways, four-lane highways such as U.S. 23 in Eastern Kentucky or similar locations.
Monarch butterfly waystations have also been installed at welcome centers, rest areas and other sites to provide specific flowers needed by the insects.
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 This year, additional pollinator habitats have been added to highway construction projects on Interstate 69 in Western Kentucky.
“While these plots add color to our drives and landscapes when the flowers bloom, their beauty is a secondary benefit,” said Mike Smith, Roadside Environment State Administrator in the Division of Maintenance, “The survival of our pollinators is essential to the survival of many native plants, birds and animals.”
It can take several years to fully develop plots as crews work to remove competing vegetation and reseed selected areas with a wildflower pollinator mix. Areas next to roads continue to be mowed routinely, while pollinator habitats are mowed less often in order to transform the habitat.
Increasing plant diversity along roadways can also improve driver safety. Studies have shown that vibrant wildflowers and plants of differing heights can increase driver alertness, which may reduce crashes. Vehicle crashes involving deer can also be lessened by reducing freshly cut grass that deer enjoy eating.
As the pollinator program continues, the administration is committed to maintaining its sites across the state and increasing the total pollinator habitat acreage in the future.
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WATCH: want to see the pollinator plots in action? Click the thumbnail on the left to see some of the beautiful pollinator locations from across the state! To learn more about the cabinet’s ecology programs and access a map of some pollinator plots, click here. |
Pavement: Where Rubber Meets the Road
Newly resurfaced U.S. 27 in Harrison County
By Michael Black
PAVEMENT! For the majority of folks -- it's something that is used every day without any thought. In reality, though, getting around without it would be pretty difficult.
For something that plays such an integral part in our every day life, it's important to take a look at the types of pavement that are used on Kentucky's highways.
The first type of pavement is asphalt. This is the type of surface that most folks will recognize, as asphalt makes up 90-95% of Kentucky’s total road miles. It is designed to be a “flexible” pavement comprised of a combination of aggregate, liquid asphalt binder and the proper amount of air voids to ensure good performance. |
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The aggregate structure is called a Job Mix Formula (JMF) and can be composed of limestone, dolomite, granite, or sandstone. We look for chemical and physical properties that make the aggregate “polish resistant”. This means it is resistant to wearing down. Traffic demands dictate the required level of polish resistant aggregate in a particular asphalt mixture to maintain safe skid resistance on the roadway. An Asphalt Binder is used as a glue to hold the aggregate together. When designed properly with the correct amount of air void structure, an asphalt pavement can perform for years under normal traffic.
Asphalt Testing for Quality Control
The second type of pavement found in Kentucky is concrete. Concrete makes up 5-10% of Kentucky’s road miles. It is designed to be a “rigid” pavement comprised of a combination of aggregate and Portland cement. Concrete pavement slabs contain reinforcing steel at specific design locations and are designed with construction joints to provide engineered locations for expansion and contraction. You might see concrete used in high traffic intersections because concrete is less prone to rutting due to standing traffic.
Many factors are involved in the selection of pavement type in Kentucky. Initial cost, total installation time, schedule, total life-cycle expectancy and maintenance costs are all important pieces of the pavement design process. Engineers evaluate these factors into whether a particular roadway is built with asphalt or concrete.
Concrete Testing for Quality Control
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, along with industry and academics, oversee the certification process for technicians who design, evaluate, and approve both asphalt and concrete mix designs used on Kentucky’s roadways. KYTC personnel evaluate all asphalt and concrete pavements in the state for specification compliance prior to placement. A variety of physical tests are performed on each material prior to, during and after placement. This ensures a long-lasting pavement as well as a smooth and safe riding surface for all who travel on Kentucky’s highways!
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Transparent Noise Screening Wall Pilot Project in Kenton County
Crews position noise screening panel into place on Crescent Avenue pilot project
A KYTC pilot project will provide residents and businesses in Covington the opportunity to experience how well transparent noise walls work to dampen highway noise without blocking scenic views.
Work has begun on the construction of transparent noise barriers along Crescent Avenue in Covington, located just to the west of Interstates 71 and 75 (I-71/75). See-through material will be used in the noise walls along a 1,000-foot stretch to cut down noise pollution from the highway without sacrificing sight lines to Downtown Cincinnati and the Ohio River.
But how do they work?
In order to understand how noise barriers function -- we must first define 'noise'.
Noise is defined as an unwanted or unpleasant sound. On the road, traffic noise can come from tires, engines and exhaust. You may have heard of sporting events using 'decibel meters' to show how loud a stadium can be. A decibel (dB) is used to measure the intensity of sound. A change of 1 dB is barely noticeable; however, an increase of 10 decibels essentially doubles the amount of noise.
 This chart shows decibel levels for common indoor/outdoor noises
These noise screening barriers aim to reduce noise impacts to nearby home and business owners. For instance, the existing noise levels near Crescent Avenue in Covington range from 65.1 to 75.6 decibels. By 2050, future traffic patterns predict a noise increase of 1.4 to 8.1 decibels. Once the barrier system is installed, it's expected to reduce noise levels from 2.9 to 18.3 decibels!
Clear barriers have long been seen in coastal states and in Europe, and more recently have been adopted in Ohio and Tennessee. This project will be Kentucky's first utilization of the concept.
"This project demonstrates our good neighbor pledge to communities along the Brent Spence Bridge corridor and showcases Kentucky's innovative spirit to think outside the box to incorporate public input," said Gov. Andy Beshear.
Crews pour concrete into drilled shafts on Thursday, April 25
The project began in November 2023 by clearing brush off the hillside. Work resumed in late March with the installation of drilled shafts. The project features 64 drilled shafts that are 42 inches in diameter, and 18 to 28 feet deep. Concrete precast retaining walls were placed in June, and the first clear sound wall was installed on Tuesday, July 9.
The project is expected to be completed by Oct. 15, 2024. This pilot project is intended to provide the Covington community an opportunity to see transparent barriers in place before they provide feedback on final noise wall decisions for the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project.
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