TxDOT Corridor - Aesthetic and Landscape Master Plan - Houston ...

TxDOT Corridor Aesthetic 

and 

Landscape Master Plans 

Beverly Storey, RLA 

Environmental Management Program 

Texas Transportation Institute 

b-storey@tamu.edu 

Texas Transportation Institute – Environmental Management Program

What is Landscape and Aesthetics 

Design in Transportation? 

“With respect to the practice of transportation design, aesthetics 

may be defined as dealing with the visual integration of highways 

and other transportation modes into the fabric of a landscape in a 

way that blends with or complements that setting.” 

“An aesthetically pleasing highway or other transport mode is 

one that provides its users with a clear picture of what is going 

on around them and what is expected of them.” 

“This means that aesthetics planning is a process that occurs 

at every stage of design, construction, and maintenance.” 

- TxDOT Landscape & Aesthetics Design Manual 


Structural Aesthetics 

Planting Design 

Public Art 

Site Fixtures 

Maintenance 


The TxDOT Design Manual 

 

Introduces landscape and 

aesthetic design concepts 

 

Highlights issues designers 

should consider 


“… context sensitive design 

seeks to avoid … conflicts 

and form partnerships with 

the communities to meet 

transportation needs and 

user expectations.” 


Conduct Early Coordination 

with Stakeholders 


What is a Corridor Aesthetic 

and 

Landscape Master Plan? 


What do the Master Plans do for each District? 

Provide the Why, What, Where, When & How 

The Master plan will be in the form of written guidelines which 

may contain plan sheets and details as appropriate. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Define the playing field and establish the rules for each District 

Offer guidance and direction for all levels of the District staff 

State the District’s goal regarding landscape and aesthetic design 

Set objectives the District will work toward 

Establish design standards 

Be a sales tool for TxDOT’s mission 

Educate the community 

Provide opportunity for community participation 

Define the roles and responsibilities of District and the community 

The Master Plan is not a project design plan 


Public Meetings 

Gets stakeholders involved 

Gathers feedback 

Conveys complex concepts 




Different TxDOT District Approaches 


El Paso District 

TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

EL PASO DISTRICT 

LANDSCAPE AND AESTHETICS DESIGN 

POLICY MANUAL 

 

Set where and when certain types of 

landscape development would take 

place based on level of development 

adjacent to the roadway 

 

Provided standards for design and 

distance requirements for installation 

Prepared by 

The Texas Transportation Institute 

Texas A&M University 

Under the Direction of 

Maribel P. Chávez, P.E. 

District Engineer, El Paso District 

 

 

Included an assessment of current 

roadways and a prioritization of 

retrofit projects 

Procedure for estimating landscape 

installation and maintenance costs 

July, 2000 


El Paso District 

IMPORTANT FINDINGS OF THE STUDY 

 

Importance of views; particularly of the Franklin Mountains 

and the vista towards Juarez 

 

Inability of respondents to identify specific attractive 

or unattractive roadway sections 

 

Overall impression of IH10 was “dirtiness, hot, dry, 

weedy, harsh concrete” 


Laredo District 

AESTHETIC DESIGN POLICY GUIDE 

 

 

 

 

 

District and community interviews identified roadside 

vegetation as the preferred landscape aesthetic 

Set new standards for vegetation establishment and 

maintenance 

Developed standard slope treatments 

Developed a plant pallet, irrigation standards, 

and planting guidelines 

Emphasized community participation for 

high-maintenance projects 


Green Ribbon 

Program 

From Plan To Project 

The GRP is the Houston District’s response to the 

local legislative and public demand to incorporate a 

higher level of aesthetics and landscape development 

into the state’s roadway facilities. 


PARTICIPANTS 

 

 

 

 

 

Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) 

Houston District 

Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) 

Environmental Management Program 

Consultant Project Design Team 

Engineers, Architects, Landscape Architects, Urban Designers, and Cultural 

Arts Council of Houston and Harris County. 

Green Ribbon Committee 

Representatives from various arts, cultural, civic, business, environmental 

groups and local government officials, to assist TxDOT in obtaining feedback. 

Through their time and effort developed consensus-based design 

criteria that will long serve the Houston District. 

Implementation Team 

Consultant design team and appointed members by the 

District Engineer. 


MISSION STATEMENT 

Develop a plan that provides a ―road map‖ for 

aesthetic quality of roadside development and 

creates an enhanced highway environment 

that is recognizable as a system. 


MASTER PLANNING DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES 

Provided to acquaint the 

design professional with 

the issues that are to be 

considered when 

planning or designing 

landscape development 

and aesthetic 

improvement projects for 

the Houston District 

urban highway system. 


DELIVERABLES (PHASE I) 

Established Goals and 

Design Principles for: 

Architecture 

Landscape Architecture 

Public Art 

Established Guidelines for: 

Landscape Architecture 

Public Art 


DISCLAIMER (PHASE I) 

TxDOT does not have the financial 

resources to implement all of the 

proposed design concepts. 

Successful public/private 

partnerships with the community can 

broaden the impact of available 

TxDOT funding. 


DELIVERABLES (PHASE II) 

The design criteria provided acts as the overall guideline 

necessary to produce the preferred aesthetic form, function 

and appearance of each new BASELINE highway element. 


STANDARDS 


IMPLEMENTATION 

ARCHITECTURE 

Retaining Walls 


Columns 


Sound Walls 


Landscape Pavers 


LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE 

Native Naturalized “Reforestation” 




PARTNERSHIPS 


Public Art 


Before 

After 


ACCOMPLISHMENTS 

 

 

PUBLIC RELATIONS TOOL 

An education process 

Commitment by TxDOT 

Consensus based design 

LEGISLATIVE ACTION - Commitment by the public 

2002-2003 77 th Regular Session – Rider 57 to the 

general appropriations bill for TxDOT – Minimum ½% 

of total letting $’s for landscape development 

associated with plant materials in non-attainment and 

near non-attainment counties, and aesthetic master 

plans for cities in excess of 100,000 population. 



2004-2005 

78th Regular Session – Rider 49 to the general appropriations bill for 

TxDOT – Minimum ½% of total letting $’s for landscape development 

associated with plant materials in non-attainment and near 

non-attainment counties. 

2006-2007 

79th Regular Session – Rider 23 to the general appropriations bill for 

TxDOT – Minimum ½% of total letting $’s for landscape development 

associated with plant materials in non-attainment and near 

non-attainment counties. 

New Federal Transportation Bill 

SAFETEA-LU (Safe Accountable Flexible Efficient Transportation 

Equity Act: A Legacy for Users) Reference to high priority project 

No.825, Implementation and quantification of benefits of Large-scale 

landscape along freeways and interchanges in the Houston region. 



PARTNERSHIPS 

Mutual understanding 

Opportunities to define identity 

Cash and In-kind contributions 

Long term commitments 

DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION & MAINTENANCE 

Consistency by guidelines and standards (Design) 

Consistency in form and materials (Construction) 

Consistency in materials and methods (Maintenance) 


RECOGNITION 

AWARDS: 

National Arbor Day Award, 2005, Lady Bird Johnson Award, The National Arbor Day Foundation. 

Environmental Achievement Award, 2003, Texas Department of Transportation. 


Certificate of Recognition, 2003, Mayor’s Proud Partners Award, Keep Houston Beautiful. 

Arboricultural Project Award, 2003, Texas Forest Service and Texas Urban Forest Council. 

Arbor Day Award, 2003, Trees For Houston. 

Award of Appreciation for Endeavors Toward Water Conservation and Beautification Efforts, 2002, Nelson, Turf 

Division. 

Best Use of Water Conservancy Products, 2001, Rainbird, Texas/Oklahoma Region. 

Award of Excellence, 2001, Texas Community Forestry Award, Government Project, Texas Forest Service and Texas 

Urban Forest Council. 


Arbor Day Award, 2000, Trees For Houston. 

Visionary Award, 2000, The Park People, Inc., Houston. 

Merit Award, 2000, Planning and Analysis, American Society of Landscape Architects, Texas. 

Highest Honor, 1999, Strategic Planning Effort, The American Planning Association, Houston. 

Award of Merit, 1999, Texas Community Forestry Award, Local Government, Texas Forest Service and Texas Urban 

Forest Council. 

OTHER: 

Published as case study for, Transportation Public/Private Partnership Guide Book, Somerset County Planning Board, 

New Jersey. 

NOMINATED: 

AASHTO President’s Transportation Award, Environment Category, 2003, 2004. 

Star Award, 2002, Houston West Chamber of Commerce, Westchase District. 

President’s Award, Best Public Improvement Project, 2002, Texas Downtown Association. 

AASHTO National Environmental Stewardship Competition, 2002, Program Catagory 

TxDOT Environmental Award, 2001 


Master Plans/Corridor Plans 

large or small …the process is the same 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Determine the direction and the goals the District wants 

to pursue 

Meet with individuals/sections/areas to discuss issues 

Develop a preliminary outline based on input from 

district personnel 

Plan your public participation activities 

Develop the manual 

Prepare an implementation procedure 


―Transit agencies typically keep the public at bay 

by having only two phases for their projects: 

The first phase when it is just too early to give the 

public all the facts, and the second phase when it 

is too late to stop the project.‖ 

— Earnest Fitzgerald 

December 17, 2005 Today's quote: 

http://www.honolulutraffic.com/Dec05_JanFeb06.htm 


THANKS, Y’ALL! 

QUESTIONS ?

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