Pleas to Save U.S. 1 Trees Unsuccessful
Crape myrtles in U.S. 1 median Photo by Glenn M. Sides
- Print print this page
- Discuss 33 comments, Blog about
Advertisement
Despite pleas from concerned residents and the Southern Pines Town Council, it appears that hundreds of crape myrtles along U.S. 1 will be removed to make way for a guardrail project.
"We can't save the crape myrtles and meet state and federal safety standards," said Chuck Dumas, district engineer for the N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT).
NCDOT awarded the contract to Barnhill Construction Co. of Tarboro on June 30 after Barnhill submitted a low bid of slightly more than $1 million to install 3.6 miles of guardrail on U.S. 1 from Morganton Road in Southern Pines to Valley View Road by Hyland golf course.
Two other companies bid on the project, but Barnhill's bid was more than $100,000 lower than the next best. Work on the project is scheduled to begin July 25 and be completed by Nov. 30.
"It's the contractor's responsibility to remove the crape myrtles and subsequently dispose of them," Dumas said.
The crape myrtles were planted two decades ago to enhance the U.S. 1 median before the return of major championship golf to Moore County.
Ironically, the Southern Pines Town Council sent NCDOT a letter on June 30 - the day the contract was awarded - expressing its concern over the planned removal of the crape myrtles.
"As you know, this council supports all efforts of the NCDOT to employ appropriate safety mechanisms to keep our roadways safe, but we feel the use of standard metal galvanized guardrail in an area that for two decades has provided the beauty of over 300 crape myrtles welcoming visitors to Southern Pines and surrounding areas is not the answer," said the letter signed by Mayor Mike Haney.
A copy of the letter was sent to state Rep. Jamie Boles and state Sen. Harris Blake.
"I don't want to second-guess the safety reality, but I'd like to try to stop removal of the crape myrtles," Blake said Tuesday. "There must be a better way."
Even though Boles said he would "love to see" the crape myrtles saved, he doesn't believe that it will happen.
"I think the No. 1 issue is safety," Boles said.
He added that Southern Pines residents and businesses may be called upon in the future to maintain that stretch of U.S. 1.
"We're going to have to be creative in these economic times," he said. "We can't keep relying on the state."
Dumas, who has received telephone calls at his office from concerned residents seeking to save the crape myrtles, said last week that there were no plans by NCDOT to do so.
"Not at this time," he said. "We're still moving forward with the project. It's a hazard-elimination project due to the run-off-the-road and median-crossing crashes along that stretch of U.S. 1."
Dumas said there were 29 median-related crashes, including two fatalities in separate accidents, during a five-year study period from Feb. 1, 2004, to Jan. 31, 2009.
"There were several overturned vehicles and several vehicles that crossed the median," he said.
The state explored using Brifen rail, which would have allowed for one line of guardrail that may have been adjusted in the median to save some of the crape myrtles. But the median is too narrow for Brifen so two lines of standard metal galvanized guardrail will be used, Dumas said.
"We looked at several different scenarios, and the median was just too narrow," he said.
The crape myrtles were planted around the time the season-ending PGA Tour Champ-ionship was conducted at Pinehurst No. 2 in 1991 and 1992, and the 1994 U.S. Senior Open was contested on the famed Donald Ross golf course.
Since then, the resort has hosted the 1999 and 2005 U.S. Opens as well as the 2008 U.S. Amateur. Pine Needles has also hosted the U.S. Women's Open in 1996, 2001 and 2007.
The apparent demise of the crape myrtles comes as NCDOT prepares to implement its 2014 U.S. Open Regional Enhancement Plan. Renovation and rejuvenation of the plantings at the Midland Road and Pennsylvania Avenue interchanges along U.S. 1 will begin later this year.
The 2014 U.S. Open and U.S. Women's Open will be held in back-to-back weeks at Pinehurst No. 2.
Contact Ted M. Natt Jr. at tnatt@thepilot.com.
More like this story
Advertisement
Comments
Arestorer 1 year, 10 months ago
How about a little country since......Just lower the speed limit......Signs would be alot cheaper than removing trees or installing guard rails....
This is probably to simple for our beaurocrats...
TooHot 1 year, 10 months ago
Since? Lower the speed limit? You already have lots of goobers driving 10 mph under the speed limit. They're more dangerous than the ones going 5 over.
kgirl 1 year, 10 months ago
Why can't the trees be re-planted along the edge of the highway instead of disposing of them? Or at the very least, given to people in the area or landscapers that want them?
peddlpusher 1 year, 10 months ago
This is just this week, next week they're going to be over on 15-501 south of the traffic circle, they're going to again site safety issues, but the trees will come down, they wont fix the traffic circle ( most accidents in the county) but they'll cut trees faster than you can say BUCKY BEAVER!
concerned1 1 year, 10 months ago
Since we have another US Open on the way, I wonder which NCDOT employee's brother-in-law is getting the contract to replant all those crepe myrtles after the guard rail project has been completed?
JAP 1 year, 10 months ago
The traffic circle doesn't need to be fixed. The drivers need to be fixed.
buddysmith 1 year, 10 months ago
again as I have said before, how do you fix the drivers? if you have ever noticed people going through the circle, most dont give a hoot about any other driver!
Sean 1 year, 10 months ago
Put a big speed bump just before you enter the circle.
None 1 year, 10 months ago
Why did the DOT spend all that money to start with since they decide what obstacles are road hazards and what isn't? Let the PGA pay for the cost of replanting. Funny that the contractor who built the new double lane to Sanford was paid a cool 1 million dollar bonus to complete the project before the Open while traffic was diverted just past Tramway in Lee County to Carthage. Now that makes a lot of sense and no wonder the state is broke....stupid politicians no less.
buddysmith 1 year, 10 months ago
1 million dollars for 3.5 miles of guard rail??? when are we taxpayers going to wake up and see the pilfering and needless and senseless road projects going on around us? a 4 lane road on 211 west of the traffic circle cutting right through the heart of quiet and scenic Pinehurst? 4 lane road from Pinebluff to the SC line on US1? I went through Biscoe last weekend, on a downwind day i could toss a rock from one end of the city limits to the other, you guessed it making a 4 lane road right through the heart of town??? for what???
Poundman 1 year, 10 months ago
I agree totally. To many hands in the cookie jar with DOT projects, or should I say government projects in general
uwharrieheirlooms 1 year, 10 months ago
The Biscoe construction is part of a larger project to four lane Highway 24 from Charlotte to Fayetteville. It's already finished from Charlotte to Albemarle and from east of Troy to Biscoe.
buddysmith 1 year, 10 months ago
does that mean it is needed? I travel 24/27 from 220 to Charlotte a few times a year. I just dont see enough traffic on that stretch of road to warrant 4 lanes. maybe the DOT is handed a gozillion dollars a year of taxpayer money and just have to spend it somewhere or lose it??? it would be interesting to know what qualifies a stretch of highway to be altered to 4 lanes? that part of 24/27 is rural and remote as is hwy 1 from pinebluff to the SC line. millions wasted, for what?
ncsnafu1 1 year, 10 months ago
If the center median is too narrow for a single line of the Brifen rail system (wire rope) how can it be acceptable for a double line of steel guardrail? The Brifen rail system has proven far better at containing median-crossing accidents than the proposed steel guardrail plus it would have allowed some number of the trees to be saved. It really appears that the NCDOT simply wanted to eliminate the trees and has given lip service to everyone that wanted to save the trees.
NORBVR 1 year, 10 months ago
We have lost control of our government. The United States was a fun country while it lasted.
jonoso 1 year, 10 months ago
and after they complete the rape..... they want the community to donate its time to keeping it cleaned up.... what ? they got the money to waste on a needless guardrail but then come up with the excuse of tough times for future maintenance total waste.. at least replant the trees somewhere... i can think of many desolate looking stretches of state owned property where they could be replanted beuracrats at their best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
posternutbagger 1 year, 10 months ago
Lower the speed limit. Good point ncsnafu1! How is it too narrow for a single line of rail but wide enough for two lines of rails!
They might as well rip out all the trees on Midland Road for a guard rail!
skylinefirepest 1 year, 10 months ago
Geez...I've agreed with Toda twice today...wonder what's wrong with me?? Lowering the speed limit would be inconvenient to those of us that would actually pay attention to it and wouldn't work at all for the rest of the motoring public. I really don't think that we need to pay a contractor to remove the trees, especially in this economy. Do you reckon the public would pay a modest fee for them and get them moved?? Just an idea since so many people actually like the trees and they are not that hard to transplant. I just don't see the wisdom in paying someone to dig them up and destroy them and then install a nasty metal barrier. Through the years the trees have stopped many vehicles from crossing the median...therefore, why don't we simply plant more trees?? Solve the problem both ways and it's probably cheaper!
CSmithson 1 year, 10 months ago
I received information today that the DOT is telling people interested in the trees to contact the contractor. I may be wrong, but I doubt the lowball bid included the use of a tree spade to remove, transport, and transplant the trees. They are almost surely going to be removed/destroyed in the quickest, cheapest method possible.
MikeNC 1 year, 10 months ago
"Pleas to Save U.S. 1 Trees Unsuccessful" ...What was expected? Since when have realistic and common sense pleas from concerned citizens been answered or even considered favorably from any level of government lately?? Our pleas about these beautiful tax payer funded trees have never been a concern of theirs, now we get to pay the million to have them removed and get a gray guard rail in return. The drunks and speeders will contioue to kill themselves and others.... Mike .
Scoot 1 year, 10 months ago
Good gracious a live. The state is broke. I've lived here all of my life and there have been to few wrecks to warrant those guardrails. This is US #1 not 95 Hwy. If people would slow down and drive like they had some sense. The crape myrtles are very pretty. I sure hope the state don't plan more flowers when the US Open comes back. If you going to impress do it for the tax payers of Moore County!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TooHot 1 year, 10 months ago
Slow down? How about we just walk? Or is that too fast for you as well?
Arestorer 1 year, 10 months ago
would you be happy, if we just paved the whole county, put up guard rails and jersy barriers,have no speed limits, and just paint green where you want it?? How about you slow down and smell the flowers while we still have them..
geoffcutler 1 year, 10 months ago
I forgot to mention this in last post on last article on the subject, but these Crape Mryrtles could be cut to 2 ft. trunks, then dug, stored or tranplanted now. Give them to some other spot/area, whatever, or replant them inside new guardrails. Once cut, they are easily dug, and you end up with compact plant to transplant. Transplanted stumps will take off next spring if properly handled in interim. Cost shouldn't be appreciably more than removing altogether because root systems have to be removed either by grinding or pulling anyway.
Poundman 1 year, 10 months ago
Crapemyrtles are cheap and plentiful. The bigger issue is the waste of money for some stupid un necessary guardrails.
geoffcutler 1 year, 10 months ago
True!
Arestorer 1 year, 10 months ago
Geoff, did you put in a bid for the removal of the trees??? Were bids even taken from locals?? It sure would be nice if regular people had a voice in what happens to the towns we live in, Instead of some AH in Raleigh..
geoffcutler 1 year, 10 months ago
No, I don't bid on town or state stuff. Also, I sit on Appearance Comission for Southern Pines so I believe there would be a conflict of interest. Those things aside, however, I wouldn't bid on this anyway. Uneccessary destruction of trees and shrubs isn't my thing.
native 1 year, 10 months ago
SHAME SHAME.....TREE CITY USA
NCgolfer 1 year, 10 months ago
Have to agree with Jonoso. For a state that is suppose to be broke, sure seems like they have money to burn. I drive that stretch of road just about everyday and see absolutly no need for a million dollars of guard rail. Could be better spent cleaning some of the roadsides, most of which are filthy.
HillTopper 1 year, 10 months ago
Wonder where the guard rails are made? I don't know, just curious. Love to know the material cost to labor cost ratio. $1,000,000 sounds awfully steep to me. I'll do it for $750,000 and save the trees, too! What a mess we're in ... and I loved that quote from Mr. Boles. These guys don't have a clue ... HELP!
ncsnafu1 1 year, 10 months ago
The Brifen web site indicates an installed cost of $15 - $20 per LF for their cable barrier system which is manufactured in the US. This would say then that the installed system should cost about $380K plus site work, contingency & profit. If we throw in $220K (swag) for these items we get to $600K plus the cost of removing the crape myrtles. It appears that the contractor has gotten about $1000 per removed crape myrtle which is probably a NCDOT standard cost for removing a tree. The contractors real profit from the job will come a D6 ripping out the crape myrtes as I seriously doubt the job contract makes any mention of attempting to save/reuse the trees.
Here's an idea for the NCDOT - amend the contract and have the contractor transplant the trees to the outside highway right-of-way where there is plenty of room. The trees get saved at negible cost and the replanting gets eliminated.
skylinefirepest 1 year, 10 months ago
Let me tell you what the DOT thinks of the people of Moore County...my understanding is that when the bypass was being built the Circle V Fire Dept., Vass Rescue, Cameron Fire Dept., and the NCSHP all asked for turn-arounds to make our response faster and safer. DOT refused. So now two stations are dispatched from two directions since an engine can't turn around anywhere except at interchanges. When your loved one is involved in an accident along that stretch of road you can thank NCDOT for the delayed response of emergency medical care!
uwharrieheirlooms 1 year, 10 months ago
From my experience, when you dig a crape myrtle you will end up with dozens of sprouts coming up the next year from the severed roots. Who will go back and remove the thousands of sprouts? You can't kill a crape myrtle. Not very easily, anyway.