In February, California's Department of Transportation began work on a project to expand Highway 49, cutting down acres of trees in the process.
As CBS News reported, the development is drawing mixed reactions from local residents, with many feeling an attachment to the trees.
"I was not expecting that, and it felt like part of me was being cut down," Claudia Jones from Grass Valley said.
While the local community has aesthetic concerns — heightened by the sight of freshly cut stumps along the route from the McKnight Way interchange to Allison Ranch Road — this project has been carefully considered, and Caltrans has determined that it is necessary for safety and traffic management.
"You're now going to have all the added safety benefits of all of this work as well," Caltrans spokesperson Jeremy Linder told CBS News.
The highway was previously a single lane running in each direction, northbound and southbound.
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The new design will feature two lanes on each side, plus truck lanes and turnout pockets. Sound walls will help improve the lives of neighbors who might otherwise be bothered by traffic noise.
Normally, it is preferable to keep trees in place. In addition to acting as a natural sound barrier, their roots help protect the soil from erosion. They also provide shade to counteract the heat island effect, and they help purify the air by removing carbon pollution.
However, according to Linder, there will still be plenty of forest along the highway when the project is completed toward the close of 2028.
"When everything is said and done, it's not like we're going to have these really big areas that are completely barren," he said. "There's still going to be trees along the highway, that natural beauty."
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