Along the side of southbound Highway 101 on Tuesday, a remote-controlled mower was cutting down weeds at the off-ramp for State Route 217. As high fire season is upon us, Caltrans is doing its part.
The worker with the RC controls in his hands wore an N95 respirator, a high-visibility vest, and a hard hat as traffic roared by behind him. A larger group of tree and underbrush trimmers were cutting plants the traditional way along the adjacent Patterson onramp.
Caltrans uses the RC mowers in areas big and small, the man said, though they still weed-whack by hand near tree trunks. On slopes, the agency has found the RC mowers are safer, said Heidi Crawford with District 5, and they can reach inaccessible areas. In service for the past two years, the mowers can cover an acre to 1.5 acres a day and are useful as they are more easily deployed than a tractor with a mower arm.
[Click to zoom] Credit: Courtesy
