There are a number of ways a public agency such as MnDOT or your municipality, can establish a new roadside. The two primary methods are through seeding or sodding. Sodding results in an “instant lawn” while a new seeding can take several months to fully mature into a full, dense lawn. Knowing whether your lawn has been seeded or sodded is important because it will change how you manage the turf. For instance, sodded lawns, although they look really good right away, still need to be watered regularly for several weeks (this is especially important on roadsides since fine fescue sod does not establish new roots very quickly).
The three video lectures below will give you more information about the process of seeding and sodding and also, importantly, information about how to care for turfgrasses during the establishment period.
Next lesson: Fertilizing a roadside lawn