MOUNTAIN AREA — Good news for anyone who has experienced delays recently on Highway 41 associated with the massive tree removal project that began last fall.
After taking out 15,179 trees at a cost of $5.7 million, Caltrans spokesman Cory Burkarth says the hazard tree removal along the Highway 41 corridor north of Oakhurst will cease for the season. The last day for tree work at this time is Thursday, May 25.
The work was originally planned to be a 150-day project, which began on Monday, Oct. 3, 2016. As of that date, 2,300 trees on SR-41 and an additional 188 trees on SR-49 had been marked for removal. As of Mar. 7, 2017, some 7,250 dead hazardous trees had been removed, according to Burkarth.
Caltrans is following through with plans to stop work in advance of Memorial Day weekend so as not to interrupt the flow of traffic during the busiest times of year. No specific date to resume the project has been announced at this time.
“We don’t have any plans to return this year because our contractor successfully removed all of the trees within the project zone that posed a danger to the roadway,” Burkarth explains. “We will continue to monitor the area and make a determination on whether or not we need to return in 2018 or 2019.”
We will keep you updated with more information when it becomes available.