Bluebonnets are beginning to bloom across roadways in Springtown, signifying the arrival of spring and also reflecting the Texas Department of Transportation’s roadside management and wildflower program.
According to TxDOT, its wildflower program dates to the 1930s, when the department began managing roadside vegetation. In 1932, TxDOT hired its first landscape architect, Jac Gubbels, who led research that showed roadside landscaping could make highways safer for travelers by reducing driver fatigue. Having Texas highways filled with colorful flowers and vegetation would make roads safer by breaking up the monotony of plain or long stretches of road.
Women’s clubs assisted in the effort to beautify Texas roads by advocating landscaping efforts and rallying for the elimination of billboards which would improve a driver’s experience.
