The Maryland State Highway Administration announced today it will begin removing five large, decaying elm trees along Wisconsin Avenue in Chevy Chase on Wednesday, weather permitting.
Crews will close a lane along northbound Wisconsin Avenue (MD 355) between Norwood Drive and Cumberland Avenue between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
The work should be complete no later than than Friday, Sept. 7, according to the SHA press release:
SHA’s recent evaluation of the trees resulted in this decision to remove them. Many have large branches hanging over the roadway close to traffic and have been struck numerous times by vehicles, creating a public safety risk for motorists and pedestrians. In addition to presenting a safety hazard, the evaluation revealed extensive damage to the elms caused by vehicle crashes and marked their close proximity to power lines.
The SHA is in the design phase of a .7-mile sidewalk through Chevy Chase’s “Green Mile,” a tree-lined section of Wisconsin Avenue from Grafton Street to Bradley Lane, that could mean the loss of 53 trees, including the five involved in this week’s project.