• Kansas' Roadsides
• Mowing in Undeveloped Areas
• Property Adjacent to the Highway
• Mowing for Visibility
• Mowing in Developed Areas
• Wildflowers and Native Grasses
• Everyone Benefits

Mowing in Undeveloped Areas

To save time and money, KDOT crews mow less frequently in undeveloped areas. KDOT also minimizes mowing on steep slopes. Danger to our employees and the extra maintenance needed to repair turf damage caused by sliding equipment are the main reasons. Cutting heights are prescribed to improve vegetation, increase equipment capacity, reduce flying objects and avoid exposing small litter to view.

KDOT'S mowers are generally set for a 6-inch cut for mowing the shoulder strip. Highway right of way in undeveloped areas is mowed 15 feet from the pavement edge or to the drainage ditch line. The remaining uncut areas provide nesting cover for small wildlife, and are not mowed prior to July 15th each year. These areas are mowed out on a three-year cycle with an 8-inch cut. But both sides of the road are usually not mowed in the same year.

Reducing mowing while increasing the cutting height strengthens the sod and provides a healthier turf. The mowing operations are timed to coincide with wildflower growth and wildlife nesting seasons. This increases cover and nesting for wildlife while helping establish and spread native grasses and wildflowers.