Crews removing 40+ trees on two Pueblo streets in advance of repaving project
Scott Harrison
PUEBLO, Colo. — Residents along Saratoga Road in the north side Belmont community are happy to hear that their crumbling street will finally get repaved this season.
But it comes with a heavy price: The removal of 41 trees between the sidewalks and curbs.
“I guess I’d rather have good roads,” said neighbor Duke Wright. “But I hate to see the trees go.”
Chuck Roy, the city’s acting public works director, stated that the trees must be cut down because they have large, deep roots that have already damaged the concrete infrastructure and would undermine a repaving job if left in place.
“You know, I don’t like removing 40 trees,” he said. “I really don’t. And I know that we’ve been in contact — and some of the neighbors have made contact — with groups like Trees Please and our National Arbor Society, to try and get some trees maybe donated, so that people who wanted to, could plant the trees again, obviously on their side of the sidewalk and hopefully not back in that parkway area where in 30 years we have to do this all over again.”
Some neighbors were surprised to learn that the trees are not on their property, but in the city’s right-of-way.
Roy said that a concrete crew will closely follow the tree crew to repair and replace broken concrete as quickly as possible; roots have lifted entire sidewalk sections in many areas.
He added that he hopes the entire project will be finished by the end of September.
Some trees will also be removed on Lexington Road, a block west of Saratoga.
The city is having a late start to its paving season, which normally begins in late spring, for a variety of reasons that will be explained in an upcoming Road Warrior segment.