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Fear or reality?Tree damage caused by the installation of streetlights on 89ABy Cliff Hamilton SEDONA, AZ (November 19, 2009) - There are those who are afraid of reality and those who
are concerned about the process of installing streetlights on 89A
in west Sedona. Let’s
examine my questions, ADOT’s answer and reality one at a time. ADOT: “About six months max.” Reality: In ADOT’s initial materials they said it would take about a
year to install the lighting. Now that time has conveniently become
six months. Figure on six months to a year depending on how much
rock they hit digging trenches, weather, funding shortages and
difficulty in getting easements from private business and other land
owners along the way – all things ADOT has not contemplated in any
detail yet. ADOT: “Sometimes they will trench. Actually a lot of the lighting systems now are being bored in….” Hamilton: “By boring you are talking about some sort of horizontal drill approach…?” ADOT: “Yes” Reality: Boring doesn’t work if rock is involved. How many places in west Sedona can you dig down at least 2 feet and not encounter some sort of rock? Boring is more expensive than using the usual backhoe or trenching machine. It can be cost effective only if it allows avoiding major obstacles like landscaping, other utilities, roadways, etc. Given the realities of what is under much of west Sedona, trenching will be the primary approach for installing the wires and conduits necessary for streetlights. ADOT has not identified just what methods will be used in this installation and where. They have not mapped out locations of utilities nor evaluated the landscape destruction that will take place. They have not pursued easements. In short they don’t know what it will take in terms of time, destruction or cost.
Hamilton: “What happens to trees when you put a trench through there?” ADOT: “I think that what we would need to do through the design process is identify some of those critical locations as an avoidance…in the design and construction itself.” Reality: ADOT will have to get wire and conduits the full length of both sides of 89A. The notion that you can just “avoid” some areas due to large trees and other major landscaping in the way is absurd. Clearly ADOT had not even considered the destruction of large trees and other major landscaping along 89A during construction. With typical highway engineer thinking, they give the “stock” answer believing they can engineer and design away any problem.
Councilor Dan Surber: …”Is there a standard agreement as far as roadways and sidewalks and landscaping to return it to the state it was before?” ADOT: “Yes, we do put that in the contract documents to make sure it’s restored to what it was before…” Reality: One must really understand ADOT’s notion of “restored” to understand this answer. Replacing a 12-16 inch diameter tree that is many decades old and that stands 45 feet high with a 2 inch tree standing 8 feet high meets their notion of “restored.” Reality is that such mature landscaping and large trees cannot be “restored,” accept through scores of years of growth - if new trees can be reestablished on the site at all after construction has killed them. Replacing mature shrubbery with a few 5 gallon potted plants will also suffice their definition of “restored” when in fact it will be a decade or more before any will achieve a similar appearance to what existed before construction.
Perhaps readers remember last year the city proposed a sidewalk
along a half mile of Andante at a cost of about $1 million. True,
installing a new sidewalk where one did not exist is more costly
than replacing one after it has been torn up. Realize also there are
over 4 miles of sidewalk involved in this proposed lighting project.
Trenching down the sidewalks may save some landscape, but do the
financial math! Reality is you just can’t get there from here,
except at frightful cost. Readers' comments
#1 I dont fear for the loss of a tree as
much as I fear for the loss of a human life.
Another tree can be planted. A life lost is
irretrievable. That is reality.
#2 It has been proven time and time again
lights do not improve safety. The lives lost
in the past crossing 89A where those of
individuals under the influence breaking the
law jaywalking.
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