Bare-root plantings restore natural landscape near new bridges

From ODOT-

Enhancing and restoring the natural environment around the Willamette River Bridge project requires attention to detail.



During winter and early spring of this year, our contractors have been installing fencing, irrigation and native bare root plants. The dormant plants can be dug up, stored without any soil around the roots and then planted before the warm weather comes. Advantages to using bare-root plants are that they have up to 200 percent more roots, are easier to move and take less time to plant. Once bare-root plants arrive on site, the contractor works quickly to get them in the ground before their roots dry out, which can happen within a few weeks of shipping.

Crews recently built fencing and planted native bare-root trees in the Eastgate Woodlands of the Whilamut Natural Area.

Native bare-root trees used on this project include vine maple, Bigleaf maple, Oregon ash and Oregon white oak. Shrubs include Oregon grape, mock orange, flowering currant and blue elderberry. Tufted hairgrass, Oregon iris and common rush are used in the wetlands.



Trees, wetland plants and the irrigation system are shown in one of the swales along the Interstate 5 northbound off-ramp to Franklin Boulevard.

Irrigation systems keep plants watered during the dry summer months. For this project, we are required to water the new plants for at least five years to ensure they are established and will survive over the long term.

 

Trees offer shelter and protect the new plantings, helping them get well established. Crews planted bare-root shrubs and other native plants in the mounds of soil.

The best of both worlds for walkers and cyclists

From ODOT-

Not only is ODOT building a new Interstate 5 bridge over the Willamette River, but we are also improving park paths in the project area. Pedestrians and bicyclists will enjoy greater safety as a result of our cooperation with local communities to improve the paths.



When bridge construction began, we built a new paved path in the Eastgate Woodlands area of the Whilamut Natural Area, making bike commuting safer by eliminating dangerous blind corners.



With this new Eastgate Woodlands path in place, we closed a hazardous portion of the Canoe Canal path under Walnut Road Bridge and made plans to convert the paved path to a soft path for runners and walkers.

Crews tear up the old concrete path near Walnut Road to replace it with a soft path.



The first step was for our contractor to remove the old pavement and replace it with a new soft path. They also built stairs from Walnut Road to give walkers easy access to the new path.



Bike commuters now have a safer paved bike path, while runners and walkers enjoy the softer surface of the new Canoe Canal path. It’s the best of both worlds.

Above is a picture of the newly completed soft path in the Whilamut Natural Area that runs under Walnut Road.