Highway 54 tree clearing underway
KAYE THORNBRUGH | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 6 months AGO
Idaho Transportation Department crews are expected to complete mulching and hauling away logs from alongside a stretch of Highway 54.
HILLARY MAIN/Press
Kaye Thornbrugh is a second-generation Kootenai County resident who has been with the Coeur d’Alene Press for six years. She primarily covers Kootenai County’s government, as well as law enforcement, the legal system and North Idaho College. | March 30, 2024 1:08 AM
Trees were cleared along Highway 54 en route to Bayview to improve the roadway’s safety, according to the Idaho Transportation Department.
Heather McDaniel, public information officer for ITD District 1, said the project will mitigate the risk of trees falling in the roadway and hitting cars or blocking the road.
“When trees end up in the roadway, they also create delays while crews work to remove them safely,” McDaniel said.
Removing trees from the right of way enhances visibility for both drivers and animals, decreasing the risk of collisions with animals, ITD said. Tree removal also serves as a method of fire protection.
Tree felling for the project is completed, according to ITD. Crews are expected to finish mulching and hauling logs away by the end of next week.
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