Living Roadways

Living Roadways

Baton Rouge Green’s signature project began in 1991 as an effort to improve the green infrastructure along major corridors and interstates in the Baton Rouge area. The original 6 sites were installed with a combination of federal, state and private dollars. To date, the program has grown to include over 4,000 trees across 24 sites.

A 2018 iTree study (a peer-reviewed platform developed by the U.S. Forest Service) of our Living Roadways sites suggests that EACH YEAR these 4,000+ trees:

  • Prevent the runoff of over 11.4 million gallons of stormwater
  • Save the community over 466,000 kilowatt hours of energy
  • Store over 1.4 million pounds of carbon, among countless other ecological benefits.

Benefits to human health have also been documented, especially with regard to improved air quality and people with pulmonary issues. Several scholarly studies also suggest that enhanced vegetation alongside roadways correlates to lower stress and frustration in drivers, and reduced crash rates.

Not to mention, the trees are beautiful!

Baton Rouge Green cares for and maintains these trees constantly, which can involve pruning, fertilization, weed control, insect control and incident management. We do this through a cooperative agreement with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development and in collaboration with the East Baton Rouge Parish Department of Public Works.

This vital work is entirely supported by sponsorships from private citizens, and local businesses and industry. In this way, the Living Roadways program represents the best of our community: a partnership between non-profit, private and public entities for the ultimate betterment of the entire Baton Rouge community and its citizenry.

To find out more about sites available for sponsorship, click here.

Thank you to these incredible Living Roadways Sponsors!