Our Dublin City Median Project perfectly shows how challenging spaces can inspire creativity. Located in Dublin, GA, Hillcrest Parkway is known as one of the busiest corridors in town because of its proximity to schools, shopping centers, and of course – Kroger.
To accommodate this growth, the city widened this two-lane parkway to a four-lane, and wider roads always lead to faster traffic. Don’t be fooled by a mom in a minivan; they’ve got places to go and people to talk to along the way! To improve these traffic hazards, the city added medians for traffic calming and approached T. Lake about adding some landscaping to their vision.
You may be thinking, how did you fit anything in those skinny medians AND keep it alive?! This is where our horticultural expertise comes in. We utilized tight, upright-growing plants such as columnar sweet gum and oak to avoid conflict with vehicles. We underplanted switchgrass and muhly grasses for drought hardiness and color and provided some traditional Georgia greenery with holly and distylium on the residential end of the corridor.
To help the plants establish despite the lack of irrigation, we added soil amendments like Terrasorb polymer for water retention and other biostimulants to assist in hardiness and root development. Once we were finished we also made sure to give an initial watering to the plantings with a 1,000 gal water tank! After initial watering-in by T.Lake crews, the Fire Department picked up the baton and continues to water weekly to help the plants thrive.
Local police also stepped in to help our crews plant safely. Huge thanks to Chief Keith Moon who provided roadblocks, lane closures, and had officers throughout each day to keep the crews safe while on site. We closely followed FHWA standards for highway work, used about 100 cones, displayed notification signs, and used warning devices – all the while wearing our high-res vests. Officers actually stopped a couple of drivers who sped by at over 70 mph, despite all the safety controls!
In the end, we all felt a sense of civic pride, and are grateful to have completed the work safely. Thanks for partnering with us Dublin! Slow down and be careful out there! 😄
