The construction and operation of highways has a significant impact on the environment. While such impact is impossible to avoid, modern highways are constructed and landscaped to minimise these impacts as far as possible. Good landscaping minimises the impact on those living or working close to the highway, while at the same time regenerating the natural landscape disturbed during construction. Using as its background the successful landscape design of the Nanjing-Hangzhou Expressway in Jiangsu Province, China, which opened to traffic in 2007, Highway Landscape Design includes reference to all aspects of the landscaping of highways, including interchanges, embankments, central reservations, bridges, service and toll station areas, and drainage systems. Appropriate consideration is given to the negative impact on the surrounding environment during the process of construction and it discusses the ecological evaluation and conservation strategy for the highway route. China is in some respects at the forefront of highway landscape design as a result of rapid growth and development coupled with the financial resources to implement major infrastructure works, and the concepts, technologies and methods developed for this Expressway provide valuable experience for sustainable development strategies for such infrastructure.

The construction and operation of highways has a significantimpact on the environment. While such impact is impossible toavoid, modern highways are constructed and landscaped to minimisethese impacts as far as possible. Good landscaping minimisesthe impact on those living or working close to the highway, whileat the same time regenerating the natural landscape disturbedduringconstruction.Using as its background the successful landscape design of theNanjing-Hangzhou Expressway in Jiangsu Province, China, whichopened to traffic in 2007, Highway Landscape Design includesreference to all aspects of the landscaping of highways, includinginterchanges, embankments, central reservations, bridges, serviceand toll station areas, and drainage systems. Appropriateconsideration is given to the negative impact on the surroundingenvironment during the process of construction and it discusses theecological evaluation and conservation strategy for the highwayroute. China is in some respects at the forefront of highwaylandscape design as a result of rapid growth and developmentcoupled with the financial resources to implement majorinfrastructure works, and the concepts, technologies and methodsdeveloped for this Expressway provide valuable experience forsustainable development strategies for suchinfrastructure.

About the Authors viiIntroduction 11 Impact of Motorway Construction on the EnvironmentalLandscape and Protection Countermeasures 111.1 Impact on the natural environment 111.2 Impact on history, culture and scenery 181.3 Pollution of the surrounding environment 191.4 Impact on public activities and production 211.5 Landscape protection countermeasures and measures 222 Environmental Landscape Design of Filled and ExcavatedSections 322.1 Concept 322.2 Classification of the side slope 342.3 Functions of planting vegetation on the slope 342.4 Habitat conditions on the slope 402.5 Slope landscape design 402.6 Landscape design types 412.7 Selection of green plants for the slope 592.8 Remaking of the rocky cut slope 602.9 Slope greening and construction technologies 663 Interchange Environmental Landscape Design 823.1 Concept 823.2 Landscape design objectives 823.3 Creative landscape design 863.4 Main types of landscapes 873.5 Design features of interchanges on the Nanjing-Hangzhoumotorway 944 Environmental Landscape Design of the Central Reservation1214.1 Definition 1214.2 Functions 1214.3 Landscape design 1264.4 Design pattern 1414.5 Landscape design and analysis of the central reservation ofthe Nanjing-Hangzhou motorway 1495 Environmental Landscape Design of Service Areas and TollStations 1595.1 General 1595.2 Building works and the 'Pearl Necklace' conceptof the Nanjing-Hangzhou motorway 1636 Environmental Landscape Design of Bridges and Structures1916.1 Essential characteristics of bridges 1916.2 Coordination between bridges and the environment 1926.3 Analysis of examples of bridges along the Nanjing-Hangzhoumotorway 2207 Environmental Landscape Design along theNanjing-HangzhouMotorway 2367.1 Design techniques 2367.2 Hotspot sections along the Nanjing-Hangzhou motorway 2368 Environmental Landscape Design of Drainage Systems2458.1 General requirements of motorway drainage systems 2458.2 Consistency of design concepts and drainage system 2468.3 Innovation in the drainage system of the Nanjing-Hangzhoumotorway 2469 Ecological Evaluation of Motorway Green Space Systems2649.1 Green space system of the Luojiabian Interchange Area2649.2 Analysis of characteristics of green plant communities ontypical sections 2759.3 Green space system of slopes of typical sections 29010 Vegetation Types and Available Plant Resources along theNanjing-HangzhouMotorway 29710.1 Vegetation in Lishui and Nanjing 29710.2 Vegetation in Liyang and Yixing 29910.3 Exploitable plant resources 302Appendix 10.A Plant Species Adapted to Motorways in JiangsuProvince 32111 Green Landscape Design of the Nanjing-HangzhouMotorway(Phase II) 32611.1 Project overview 32611.2 Design principles 32611.3 The details of green landscape design of theNanjing-Hangzhou motorway (phase II) 32811.4 Conclusion 349References 351Further Reading 353Index 361