Cleaning up I-29

As the Herald is reporting in Thursday's paper, the North Dakota Department of Transportation is in the middle of a project to spruce up the I-29 corridor through Grand Forks. Right now, the work consists of removing dead and dying trees and vegetation. Next year, the project's second phase will consist of new plantings to replace those being removed.

I think this is fabulous news. Lately, I have seen crews removing the ugly, old Russian Olive trees. I hate Russian Olive trees...my father always calls them "scrub trees". Whoever had the brilliant idea back in the 60s to plant hundreds of these eyesores along the Interstate? Here's hoping that the DOT finds a better, more attractive tree to plant along the Interstate this time around.

The I-29 corridor has long been neglected and has fallen into a state where it could almost be described as an embarrassment. Not a Gateway Drive type embarrassment mind you, but not something the average citizen feels proud of either. As an avid gardener, one of my biggest pet peeves is how poorly public plantings are usually maintained.

I'm thrilled that the Interstate corridor is finally being cleaned up, but it shouldn't stop there. How about the four interchanges leading into the city? They are filled with dead and ugly plantings. It isn't as noticeable this time of year when everything is dormant anyways, but the interchange plantings are an eyesore during the warmer months. About ten years ago, whoever was in charge of the interchange areas had the brilliant idea to plant hundreds and hundreds of bushes. They were never properly maintained. The Gateway Drive interchange seemed to be the worst. Every summer, the grass and weeds would grow so thick and get so high that they would almost totally obscure the bushes. Over time, the bushes finally died and most have now been removed. Think of the thousands of dollars that were spent on those bushes. Then think of how they were never maintained and finally died and had to be dug up and thrown away. What a terrible waste of money.

Here's hoping that the ongoing Interstate cleanup project spreads to other areas with public plantings. Here's also hoping that the thousands of dollars worth of taxpayer money the DOT will spend on new trees and bushes this time around doesn't end up being a waste like it has been in the past. Finish cleaning up, then plant new, then maintain. It's simple, really.

In my opinion, Grand Forks is a beautiful city and projects like this (if properly executed and maintained) will hopefully make it even more attractive.