Greening Gateways

Greening Gateways is a committed partnership between Broward Beautiful, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), Broward Cities, and other business and citizens contributors to improve the appearance of the interchange gateways to Broward County. The interchanges off of I-95 are effectively our front doors. The current condition of these interchanges reflects on our community and represents us to the millions of tourist visitors we receive each year.

The first project, at Sunrise Blvd and I-95, included nearly ten thousand trees and understory material in varying sizes (80% percent Florida native species) and creates three distinct sustainable forest communities: a pineland forest, an upland forest and a wetland forest.

The success of this first project and the effectiveness of the partnerships developed during this project have had far reaching benefits for urban forestry in the region including : the birth of “Greening Gateways” – a program, not just a project, implementing similar urban forestry projects at interchanges throughout Broward County; establishment of key landscape design values that FDOT will implement throughout the region including: focus on increasing tree canopy, use of native plant species and a diverse palette of native plant species; and fostering a sense community empowerment that large scale environmentally responsible changes can be made in our community when committed partners come together.

The Sunrise project was completed in Spring 2005 and is a model for future projects. In June 2005, the project was identified as the best urban forestry project in the State of Florida for 2005 and has been awarded the 2005 Trees Florida Award (Outstanding Project Category).

The next Greening Gateways project will be at the Oakland Park Blvd. interchange in partnership with the Cities of Oakland Park and Wilton Manors. The design concept for the Oakland Park interchange is drawn from its unique location as it intersects our local canal system and highlights this historical, environmental, and cultural feature. The plan centers on “Rivers of Grass” and emphasizes the intersection of the natural environment with the built environment; as it reflects South Florida’s unique history and lifestyle. “Rivers” are created using a mixture of ornamental grass species planted in and among the meandering drainage channel. Ornamental grasses offer easy landscape care as well as a decorative quality that provides contrasting texture, graceful form, structural interest and color. Blown by the wind, the dynamic motion and meandering placement of these grasses evoke the lazy flow of our river systems and provide visual movement. Future art concepts capitalize on this effect with the installation of huge sail-like art elements that, in conjunction with the “Rivers of Grass”, will present the impression of “Regatta” on the interchange.