University students to beautify I-10 exit

University students in the Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture will participate in a city beautification project funded by Mayor-President Kip Holden's Green Light Plan.

Students will construct a contour-planted rain garden near the Dalrymple

Drive exit off Interstate 10.

"Although the primary purpose of the Green Light program is to improve traffic flow on major roads, we've also set aside a portion of the money to plant trees, construct sidewalks and generally beautify East Baton Rouge Parish," Holden said Tuesday at a news conference.

The garden will use native trees and other plants, which will help preserve the quality of the LSU Lakes by minimizing storm runoff.

"As an added bonus, we are able to make these two projects into hands-on learning experiences for students from LSU and Southern University who plan to pursue careers in fields like urban forestry and landscape architecture," Holden said.

The project was the winning entry in an interdepartmental competition.

University students have also planned a project that would install colored lights underneath the I-10 bridge on Dalrymple to display water quality in the lakes. Water-quality sensors in the lake would be tied to the lights, which would change as the dissolved oxygen levels changed.

That project is currently unfunded.

Meanwhile, urban forestry students from Southern University will plant native trees on the median of North Acadian Thruway in front of the Capital Area Technical College. That project will include a line of live oaks sandwiched between rows of bald cypress and red maple trees.

The total cost of both projects is about $100,000.

The Green Light Plan is a program established by the mayor's office aimed at repairing roads and intersections to alleviate traffic congestion.

The program is funded by a half-cent sales tax increase approved by Baton Rouge voters in 2005.

The Green Light Plan funds the ongoing construction on Brightside Drive. It also funded the renovation of the South Acadian Thruway and Perkins Road intersection, among many others throughout East Baton Rouge Parish.

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Contact Mathew Albright at malbright@lsureveille.com