According to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet state roads in Barren County comprise a total of 342.627 miles split between the four KYTC road designations. Photo courtesy of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
STAFF REPORT
Glasgow News 1
The Kentucky transportation cabinet will roll out its annual roadside spraying program aimed at controlling invasive plants and noxious weeds along state-maintained roads.
The work is part of a broader effort to protect infrastructure and improve safety for drivers, according to a Kentucky Transportation Cabinet press release. KYTC Secretary Jim Gray said there is a lot that goes into maintaining the integrity and safety of the road system.
“Our annual treatment of noxious weeds not only minimizes erosion and damage to drainage systems – it protects travelers by reducing unnatural roadside habitat that attracts wildlife closer to traffic,” Gray said.
The cabinet is directed under state law to control a list of invasive plants and noxious weeds, including Amur honeysuckle, Canada thistle, common and cutleaf teasel, Japanese knotweed, Johnson grass, kudzu, marestail, multiflora rose, nodding thistle, poison hemlock and spotted knapweed.
Transportation crews will use roadside treatments to target these species as the program ramps up. Motorists are being asked to be alert for KYTC crews working along shoulders and medians and to use caution when passing work zones.
Kentuckians who have listed noxious weeds on private property adjacent to state-owned rights of way may request highway crews to treat that vegetation. Application forms are available from the cabinet’s highway district office.
Key Facts
• Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will soon begin annual roadside spraying along state roads
• Program targets invasive and noxious weeds that damage turf, drainage and visibility
• Species include kudzu, Canada thistle, poison hemlock and Amur honeysuckle
• KYTC says reducing vegetation helps control erosion and keep wildlife away from traffic
• Property owners next to state rights of way can request treatment for listed weeds
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