The median of Highway 515 in East Ellijay headed out of town is looking bare with the recent removal of Bradford pear trees that have been a pleasing sight for many the past few decades.
The trees, which had been a decorative part of the highway since its early days, had grown brittle and too large for the tight space, according to information from the The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), which made the call to cut the trees.
“They don’t allow a tree in a median that small greater than 4 inches and most of those were in excess of 20 inches,” said Larry Callahan, East Ellijay public safety director.
“Those were about 10 years past the normal lifespan, and the (limbs) were starting to break and cars hitting them to where they were falling out in the road.”
At that age, the trees can also carry a disease that can pass on to apple trees, Callahan noted.
“That’s the reason the DOT has quit planting Bradford pears in places that have apple trees,” he added.
GDOT has not said whether or not they will be planting anything else decorative in the median, Callahan said.
“We’ve had some people call (about the trees being cut), but I felt like it would be more than it was,” he added.
“Personally, I supported them doing it because a lot of them were starting to break, and Bradford pears are notorious for splitting down the middle in a high wind. Those medians are so tight, there’s no way one could fall and not fall in the road,” he added.