What is the Green Ribbon Program?
The Green Ribbon Program, funded by TxDOT, aims to improve the visual character of highway corridors and minimize the negative impacts of air pollution by planting native or adaptive trees and shrubs. The City can apply for grants to fund these beautification projects, with grants covering construction and installation fees, while the City handles design costs. Eligible roadways must be TxDOT-owned, and the City must maintain the landscaping post-installation.

What Does This Mean for Southlake?
The SH 114 corridor running through Southlake will receive significant landscaping upgrades. In the Summer of 2023, the City Council approved a conceptual plan for aesthetic intersection enhancements along SH 114 and directed City staff to collaborate with Kimley-Horn on its implementation. The beautification project will focus on four key intersections along SH 114:
• Dove Road
• N. White Chapel Blvd.
• N. Carroll Ave.
• Kimball Ave.
Each intersection will be addressed in separate project phases, with landscaping improvements including a mix of plant materials, trees, wildflower seed mixes of native grasses, while preserving existing trees at each site.

How Does the Process Work?
The TxDOT Green Ribbon Program can award up to $400,000 annually for projects, covering plant materials, mow strips, rock, and irrigation systems. Each project phase typically takes about 18 months from design to construction, and the City must apply for funding annually in early spring. Completing the entire Southlake SH 114 corridor is expected to take 8 to 12 years, considering annual funding cycles, design work, and construction timelines. Each intersection phase will require approximately 2 to 3 years to complete.

What’s Next?
West Dove Road enhancements are projected to be completed within two Green Ribbon award phases and will consist of 12 planting beds and associated improvements. The City has already received two Green Ribbon maximum $400,000 awards of funding for the Dove Road portion of the project. The first phase of Green Ribbon funding covered the south side of the Dove and SH 114 intersection. The $400,000 award for phase 1 covers materials and construction. City Council awarded the construction contract for this phase last fall. Construction is expected to begin in early March and will last until late spring. The second phase of Green Ribbon funding will contribute to the continuation of construction on the north side of the intersection and is currently in design. This spring, an application will be submitted for the third phase of Green Ribbon funding, and the project will shift to the N. White Chapel and SH 114 intersection.

While construction is taking place on the SH114 rights-of-way, there will be some temporary lane closures along the SH114 frontage roads as materials are delivered. Notice will be given a few days before each temporary lane closure is expected.

Looking Ahead
This multi-year partnership with TxDOT through the Green Ribbon Program represents an exciting step toward a greener, more visually appealing SH 114 corridor. Landscaping and irrigation updates will follow the approved conceptual design, and we will continue to share progress updates.

Stay tuned for more information as we work to make Southlake even more beautiful, one intersection at a time!
To learn more, and stay in-the-know, about this exciting beautification project visit the Connect Southlake website.