The designers of the new roundabout at the New York State Thruway interchange in Kingston had a few more items on their punch list: drought-tolerant plants, historically inspired stone walls, and a variety of trees that provide year-round visual interest.

"We had our landscape group, which includes some landscape architects and members of the community, working to come up with a design that would enhance the area," said Mike Schaefer, project designer for the New York State Department of Transportation. "It was really up to our landscape designers to come up with something that would look nice and enhance the Kingston entrance."

The most eye-catching features of the landscape design are the stone walls built in and around the roundabout. In the center of the roundabout, a raised hillock topped with a stone wall was built, according to Schaefer, to block the sight lines across the traffic circle. This is done to prevent drivers from being distracted by seeing too much of the various entrances and exits on the roundabout, and to slow down drivers, who tend to go slower when they cannot see what's in the distance.

While the state Department of Transportation could have easily installed a concrete barrier of some kind, a dry-laid bluestone wall is the focal point of the center rise. Schaefer said this was done to pay homage to one of the areas greatest historical industries. "I believe that Ulster County was the leading producer of bluestone in the United States, and that led to the choice of incorporating those features," he said.

In addition to the center wall, two shorter walls are placed between the exits for Washington Avenue and the New York State Thruway; and between exits for the Thruway and state Route 28. Built more for aesthetic reasons than for engineering purposes, these walls terminate in a round, stone platform that can be used for artistic pursuits. "That was left open for the county and the city or town to arrange if there was some sculpture or something they wanted to place there," Schaefer said.

Around the center circle of the roundabout is what appears to be a walkway. But Schaefer explains that it is a truck apron, so if trucks need to go up on the curb, which may occur when trying to make the turn on the inside lane of the roundabout, they can do so without causing ruts in the shoulder.

As special as the physical features of the roundabout's landscaping plan are the trees, shrubs, flowers, and ground covers planted there. Senior Landscape Architect Al Agrasto with the state Department of Transportation said the design was based on three factors: hardiness, year-round visual interest; and, of course, budget.

"You need to care for things that are alive, but we try to chose environmentally tolerant trees and stuff that's a little bit tougher than normal," Agrasto said. "Basically we're trying to give four seasons of interest."

Year-round interest is provided in part by the trees planted there, each chosen for their unique qualities. The evergreens planted on the site are spruce and pine, which Agrasto said are the hardiest of evergreens. Deciduous trees used in the design include flowering pear trees and oaks. "We used the flowering pear trees for color and seasonal interest, and they're also very hardy," Agrasto said. "The pear also holds its leaves very late in the season." Crab apple trees and shadblow, a native tree, were also used.

For those who have driven slowly enough to notice the yellow flowers blooming in the center of the circle, but not slowly enough to identify the species, they're day lilies, chosen both for their hardiness and for their tendency to spread in clumps if left to their own devices. "They're one of the toughest plants around," Agrasto said.

And for interested lawn aficionados, even the grass seed is specially mixed for roadside use. Agrasto said the Department of Transportation used a mix of bluegrass, rye grass, and fescue, each of which performs well in a variety of situations.