Cutbacks sprout shaggy median strips
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HAGERSTOWN, Md. - America's highways are taking on a shaggier look for the peak travel season. Grasses, shrubs, and wildflowers are exploding across median strips and road shoulders as states cut back on mowing to save money.
Although there are some environmental benefits, the principal reason for the cuts are financial since states rely on fuel taxes to pay for highway maintenance, and fuel sales have been hurt by the recession and the shift toward thriftier vehicles.
"Anywhere there are safety issues - sight-distance issues, known animal crossings - we'll still mow those areas. But we're not going to do fenceline-to-fenceline mowing like we do today," said Jeffrey Caldwell, spokesman for the Virginia Department of Transportation which announced it would mow half as often to save $20 million.
New Hampshire, Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, and Pennsylvania also recently announced mowing cutbacks.
