BRADENTON, Fla. — These new green medians in Manatee County aren’t just helping the roads look nice, but they’re helping the environment in a big way.
On Friday, during an Arbor Day ceremony on 53rd Avenue West (SR70) at 36th Street West, County Commission Chair Kevin Van Ostenbridge praised the work of the County’s Property Management Department, whose landscape team members have installed nearly 5000 plants, and planted between 150 and 200 trees in dozens of medians across the county.
“Right away, they shared the vision and jumped right on top of it, the District Three Commissioner said. “It has been a huge success.”
Florida Forest Service representative Richard Larson said plants don’t only help the roads stay cooler in the summer but they also eliminate some of the harmful exhaust fumes from the traffic by turning carbon dioxide into oxygen.
"You could think of it kind of as we’re feeding the trees at the source. It will help the local air quality and reduce temperatures in our urban hardscape," Larson said.
So far the county has completed more the 48 medians in their landscaping project, and they plan to complete more than 80.
