A Road Commission of Kalamazoo County spokesperson claims a change to a controversial road safety project will mean fewer trees are cut down this fall.
According to road commission spokesperson Mark Worden, the change will reduce the tree-clearing zone by five feet on each side of the road, in most cases.
He said under the new plan, the commission would still be cutting down trees within 17 feet of a road’s white shoulder strips.
“We're fairly comfortable saying that we're going to reduce the number by half. So, going from 8,000 trees down to 4,000 trees,” Worden said.
Worden added the change was announced during a road commission meeting on Tuesday. It comes after many county residents voiced their opposition to the tree removal plan.
“I hope that everybody knows that their participation in the board meetings was heard and appreciated, that we are listening and we appreciate everybody's contribution into this process,” Worden said
Brad Sadowski of Schoolcraft Township has helped lead the push against the removals.
He said it wasn’t clear during Tuesday’s meeting that the change was official.
"I stayed through the entire meeting and listened to the entire meeting and the feedback back and forth. I think this is another instance of the road commission trying to push things through without listening to the full feedback," Sadowski said.
"There was no vote, there was no discussion, there was nobody who said, 'Hey, this is it. This is what we're going to move forward with.'"
He added that it was only mentioned during a presentation by RCKC County Engineer Ryan Minkus.
Worden told WMUK the commission did not have to vote on the revision because it was a staff-level change to a plan the board already approved.
Sadowski had other concerns about the new proposal.
"There are roads out here, several roads that don't have white lines, Sadowski said. "And in that instance, they explained they would go to the end of the pavement. Well, that means you're adding another anywhere from 2 to 4 feet" of cutting, Sadowski said.
Sadowski also said he’s not confident the 4,000-tree estimated reduction is accurate, adding that, even it is, he believes it will still lead to less safe roads for drivers.
"In certain spots, we're going to create a serious road hazard in the winter time by removing 4,000 trees by clear cutting in this clear zone that they're proposing," Sadowski said.
"That is going to cause some major road hazards with blowing snow and creating icy road conditions in the wintertime."
Michael Symonds reports for WMUK through the Report for America national service program.
