CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - South Carolina’s Department of Transportation says it no longer has plans to cut hundreds of old live oak trees from along a stretch of historic state highway.
The Post and Courier reported Thursday that the department reviewed more than 450 public comments on plans it proposed to improve safety along the scenic Highway 61 outside of Charleston that’s often the site of fatal crashes. Original plans called for chopping down nearly 300 trees to widen lanes before the new proposal scrapped plans affecting the trees entirely.
Transportation Secretary Christy Hall says the new design will keep the highway’s existing 11-foot-wide (3-meter-wide) lanes, repave them and pave 3 feet (1 meter) of shoulder. It’ll also add brighter pavement markings, signs at the curves and extend the 45-mph (72-kph) speed limit.
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Information from: The Post and Courier, http://www.postandcourier.com
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