Why is it necessary to cut the grass on the sides of highways or the median strips?
I’m assuming there’s a reason other than aesthetics. Seems like it takes a fair amount of work to do the work, and it causes some disruption to traffic as they usually have to close a lane to do it.
But it also seems like it would be better for wildlife to leave the higher grass.
Is it safety? Visibility? Fire prevention? Anyone know?
In: Engineering
Many reasons. Depends on where you are, but the rough order of importance is:
* Aesthetics (funny quote: when asked why the medians are mowed, Susan S. Barton, an adviser to the state’s Department of Transportation, said “We’re doing it so when you’re driving around Delaware you know you’re in Delaware, not in the tropics”)
* Visibility (tall grass rarely blocks your view but it can obscure the contour of the highway; even a 1% drop in visibility, multiplied by tens or hundreds of thousands of cars a day, can mean more accidents)
* Wildlife (small mammals nest in tall grass; we don’t want them hit, for their sake. Deer eat grass; we *really* don’t want them hit, for their sake and ours).
* Drainage (We often encourage grass because it helps the soil retain water. Around a highway, you want the water to run away easily, so lots of thick vegetation can be bad)
* Fire safety (tall dry grass lets wildfires spread easily; by removing it, highways act as a barrier to wildfire spread. Roadsides are one of the most common spots for lit cigarettes to be discarded, and wildfires can start if it lands in tall, dry grass)
* Accessibility (If new signage or road repair is required, thick vegetation can hamper construction efforts)
* Emergency stops (short grass allows a vehicle to pull fully off the highway if needed)
Latest Answers