WATSONVILLE—A three-phase, two-year project to beautify the lengthy median strip that divides the east and westbound lanes of Bridge Street will wrap up Thursday.
Michael Johnson of Watsonville’s landscape water conservation program said the project began in 2019 at Bridge Street and Joyce Drive. It sought to transform the grassy and weed infested median to a colorful and textured landscape strip that is designed to beautify and conserve water.
“It’s exciting to see this coming to an end,”Johnson said. “We’re very pleased with the outcome. It’s taken a lot of work and a lot of care to come this far.”
The job called for the installation of sheet mulching, a layered process of first rolling out sheet cardboard directly over the grass. Then, a layer of wood chips was spread out and a drip irrigation system was installed.
“Before, you saw sprinklers watering the roadway and wasted water running down the gutter,” Johnson said. “This new system will save a lot of water, for starters.”
Over the last two weeks a team of 17 California Conservation Corps members, headed up by supervisor Frenando Herrera, worked with city workers to tackle the third phase of the job. The project, which is roughly nine blocks long, ends at Beck Street.
“This is a good crew of workers that really put a lot of energy into getting this done right,” Herrera said. “These are young people that are out making this community a better place and learning a good skill.”
The landscaping menu includes yellow yarrow, flowering nepeta and lomandra grass.
“This landscaping design is good at retaining moisture, suppressing weeds and erosion control,” Johnson said. “We certainly owe the neighbors a huge thanks for their support. We’ve gotten so many thumbs-up, and people tooting their horns in support; they’ve been so enthusiastic. Some have even brought us bottled water: It’s things like that that really help make this project so successful.”
