Road Design and Maintenance

Some road design and maintenance practices can negatively impact surface and ground water quality, wildlife habitat, and scenic landscapes. To help mitigate these impacts, local highway officials and planners should consider siting new roads so that they follow the natural contours of the surrounding landscape; avoiding construction in wetlands; and incorporating proper drainage and flood conveyance systems along roadways. Communities may also consider adopting road regulations that require the use of buffers and/or proper ditching practices to help prevent erosion and reduce stormwater runoff.

Communities can require that environmentally appropriate road and highway maintenance practices be used, including limiting the application of chemicals on road surfaces and roadside vegetation. Communities can plant native foliage and wildflowers along roadsides, thus minimizing the need to use chemical defoliants and herbicides.

Road salt usage is a major concern in some communities. While it is very effective in deicing winter roads, it is highly soluble in water and can leach into soil, surface water, and groundwater, contaminating drinking water supplies and degrading wildlife habitat in local streams. One way communities can protect their drinking water from deicing salt is by properly storing road salt; dumping plowed snow in areas away from surface waters, wells, and groundwater recharge areas; and developing a plan for salt application, which identifies sensitive areas where alternatives to salt, or minimal salt should be applied. Communities can explore alternatives to road salt, such as using grit, rough pavements and rotary brooms.