Motorists driving within Oak Creek Canyon as of late may have noticed trees marked with ribbons or spray paint.
Arizona Department of Transportation spokesman Ryan Harding said as part of a group of projects to enhance safety and improve the roadway and bridges along State Route 89A,

ADOT has marked 708 trees for removal. This is due to the potential for them to fall onto the roadway and to create a recovery area for vehicles that depart the roadway. 

“Of these trees, 45% are dead or dying and 11% are alive but leaning,” he said. “Many among the rest have been determined to have exposed root balls, which weaken tree stability and present a possible fall hazard.”

Removing trees along this 12-mile stretch of highway will help create what is known as a clear zone in the event a vehicle leaves the paved surface. 

“Anything that drivers hit after leaving the roadway can turn a temporary loss of control into a crash that can injure or kill,” he said.

Single-vehicle roadway departure crashes accounted for 43% of all crashes along this stretch of SR 89A over the last five years, Harding said. Of these, one in eight ended with the vehicle striking a tree.

“Making roadways safer often means removing some trees along the side of the road,” he said. “ADOT is sensitive to this and tries to minimize the impact these removals have on our forests and surrounding communities.”

To prepare for the project, ADOT worked with the U.S. Forest Service and biologists to protect critical habitats and safeguard the landscape from future erosion. ADOT catalogued each tree slated for removal, documenting its location, size and condition. 

“As the project progresses, fewer trees may be removed than currently identified based on condition and proximity to the vehicle safety zone,” Harding added.