Transportation officials seek input on Airport Boulevard interchange landscaping

Local transportation authorities are hosting an open house Tuesday night in Santa Rosa to gather feedback on landscaping options for the Highway 101 and Airport Boulevard interchange.

Construction on the interchange, which opened in 2014, included the removal of about 600 trees and bushes. In response, workers created space for new planting at the Airport Boulevard on and off ramps, and along the sidewalks of the road.

However, the county’s desire to re-plant those spaces could be stymied by Gov. Jerry Brown, who apparently informed Caltrans officials last week of his intention to issue a moratorium on using potable water for irrigation on interchanges along California’s highway system.

“That’s what we’ve heard from Caltrans,” said Jennifer Larocque, a spokeswoman for the Sonoma County Department of Transportation and Public Works.

She said county officials were informed the moratorium could last through 2017 and also ban use of recycled water for irrigation. Local officials, who planned Tuesday’s open house prior to learning about the governor’s plans, are now considering phasing in the remainder of the planting project, or holding off altogether until the presumed moratorium is lifted.

The county already has planted more than 500 trees to replace those that were removed from the interchange area.

Officials say the landscaping options are limited to plants and trees that don’t require much water to thrive. Workers are planning to establish the new plantings using recycled water.

Larocque said for those reasons, thirsty groundcovers, which typically require daily watering, are out.

“With the drought, we’re trying to steer away from that, and toward large trees,” she said.

She cited oaks and redwoods as examples. The county also prefers using taller bushes in the space to cut down on undergrowth, which in the past has encouraged homeless encampments in the area.

The interchange, which took a year and a half to complete, opened last summer. It included a wider Airport Boulevard overpass, new onramps and offramps and sound walls through Windsor. It was built with $20 million in local Measure M sales tax money, which transportation officials were able to use to secure more than $30 million in state and federal funds.

The budget for the planting project is $1.26 million, according to Larocque.

Tuesday night’s meeting is from 6 to 8 p.m. at Sonoma County’s Permit and Resource Management Department on Ventura Avenue in Santa Rosa.

You can reach Staff Writer Derek Moore at 521-5336 or derek.moore@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @deadlinederek.