Median Landscape Renovation Project

September 12, 2025 Update:

Phase two construction is almost finished! 

Remaining work items include:

• Grass seed application along portions of Dillon Rd and McCaslin Blvd
• Please keep an eye out for limited lane closures in the coming weeks.

Work is substantially complete on the following areas:

• Dillon Rd between Dahlia St and 88^th St  
• Via Appia between McCaslin and Eldorado Lane 
• McCaslin Blvd. between Dillon Rd and Century Dr

Project Overview

The City of Louisville is in the process of a multi-year Median Landscape Renovation project. This initiative aims to enhance landscape infrastructure and design aesthetics for medians along major roads in the City of Louisville. The first phase (Completed 2023) focused on medians impacted by the 2021 Marshall Fire or in close proximity to fire-damaged zones.

The project seeks to reimagine the aesthetic and ecological aspects of the medians. The specific goals include:

• Removing disease-prone Ash trees and trees damaged in the Marshall Fire and replacing them with a diverse variety of trees that will thrive in roadway settings  
• Reducing irrigated turf grass and replacing it with drought-tolerant native grasses, and pollinator-friendly plants
• Upgrading irrigation infrastructure for improved efficiency

What to expect:

• Temporary lane closures, detours, or altered traffic patterns to ensure safety
• Construction equipment and workers on medians
• Removal of all existing landscape materials
• A transformed, refreshed appearance including hardscapes, decorative elements, and native plantings

Construction will start with removing all existing landscaping elements, including trees, shrubs, plant materials, turf grass, and irrigation. The medians will then undergo significant infrastructure and aesthetic improvements, incorporating new design features such as hardscapes and native plantings to create a revitalized and sustainable environment.

The Median Landscape Renovation Project began in late 2018 with an evaluation of the current medians, many of which were installed 20-30 years ago. The process included community meetings, input from the Parks and Public Landscaping Board (PPLAB), and approval from City Council. This project supports Park’s goal of providing well-maintained landscaped areas that are enjoyable to see and indirectly supports Transportation’s goal of providing a well-maintained multi-modal transportation system. Future budget allocations will determine the timeline for subsequent stages.

The City of Louisville looks forward to unveiling these revamped medians, showcasing a renewed aesthetic that aligns with the project's goals of ecological sustainability and enhanced visual appeal.

Supporting Documents

Visit the Parks & Public Landscaping Advisory Board page for additional information.

Additional information on Median - P2 Adjustments.

FAQ

Q: Why were the mature trees removed? 

The short answer:

The removed trees were Ash species that were previously damaged and/or susceptible to future impacts by the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). In addition to EAB mitigation, the Ash tree removal helped enable other project objectives including irrigation infrastructure upgrades and conversion of bluegrass turf to water wise landscaping.

The longer answer:

The removed trees were Ash species which were assessed with one (or more) of the following conditions: fire damage, poor branching structure (loss of a primary leader, significant dead limbs, etc), indication of past infection by an Ash borer and/or susceptibility to future infection by the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB).  

Aside from these conditions, some otherwise healthy Ash trees were proactively removed to enable other project objectives outlined below:

1. Irrigation System Upgrades for Water and Maintenance Efficiencies

   The existing underground irrigation infrastructure is at the end of its lifecycle and can be upgraded to improve water application efficiency and reduce on-going maintenance needs. These upgrades require significant retrenching for lateral lines which would be extremely difficult (if not impossible) to perform with mature tree roots remaining intact. In addition to construction difficulty, trenching through the Critical Root Zone of established trees would likely cause detrimental health impacts to trees remaining in place.

2. Conversion of bluegrass turf to water wise landscaping

   The existing median surfaces were primarily comprised of bluegrass turf which requires significant amounts of water and frequent mowing. By removing the bluegrass and replanting with a designed blend of native grasses, significant water savings are anticipated and mowing will be less frequent.  For this phase of construction (88^th, Via Appia, McCaslin) up to 1 million gallons of annual water savings are projected. In addition to native grasses, the medians are being planted with drought-tolerant, native and pollinator friendly shrubs and flowers.    

3. Phased Diversification of the urban tree canopy

A key strategy for long-term urban forest health is diversification of tree species. The Ash trees are being replaced with 13 different species of deciduous trees in varying sizes. It’s also important to recognize that many trees in the right-of-way along both sides of the streets are also Ash species.  The hope is that proactively replacing the median trees now allows time for growth prior to potential future loss of Ash trees of each side of the streets.  This strategy creates a phased replacement as opposed to needing replacement an entire corridor’s trees at once.   

Q: How did you choose which street medians to renovate?

A: This is phase one of a multi-year project.  The goal is to work through all medians in town as funding allows.  Additionally, City forestry is already working on other streets and right-of-ways through separate funding.  Phase one (88^th, Via Appia, McCaslin) was identified as a capital funded project and made the priority due to fire damage, or proximity to fire impacted areas.

Q: Why not treat the Ash trees against the borer with trunk injections? 

A: Forestry is treating some trees in town to extend their life.  Due to City commitments to strict pesticide regulations, treatments must be made with a more expensive version of the chemicals that make treatment cost prohibitive at a city-wide scale.  While chemical treatments can offer good short-term benefits, the best long-term strategy for EAB (and other emergent threats) is the diversification of tree species.

Q: I didn’t vote for this, why didn’t you ask my opinion before performing the project? 

A: The project has been in the works since 2019.  Multiple rounds of designs went through the citizen-led Parks and Public Landscape Advisory Board (PPLAB) and was ultimately approved and funded by City Council in spring of 2023.   

Contact

Bryon Weber, Project Manager PROS, bweber@louisvilleco.gov, 303.335.4736