Crews along Murdoch Avenue in Parkersburg in May where they removed trees and more along hillsides as part of a plan to take out “hazard trees” that had the potential to fall down and destabilize the hillsides. (Photo by Art Smith)

PARKERSBURG — Local highway officials have been doing work which they said is needed to improve safety.

Crews have been out inspecting the Belpre-Parkersburg Bridge and the Fifth Street Bridge as well as removing trees and other growth along Murdoch Avenue.

“Every year, we have got to do bridge inspections which are scheduled every year to look at structural issues,” said Michael C. Daley, transportation district manager for the West Virginia Department of Transportation District 3 which covers Calhoun, Jackson, Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Wirt and Wood counties.

The inspections were done with boom trucks which have a basket that can be deployed from the side of a bridge to allow crews to access and inspect the underside of the bridge as well as do repairs if needed.

The inspections were done with no significant problems found.

The hillsides along Murdoch Avenue, between the traffic circle and the flood wall, were recently cleared of trees and more as part of a plan to improve safety. Highway officials said some trees had gotten so big, they posed a danger to traffic if they would have fallen into the roadway on their own. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

“Everything is good on this inspection,” Daley said. “There were no findings which we are always tickled to death with.”

The only issues that had to be dealt with were some basic surface repairs that had to be done with potholes, he said.

Crews will be working on other bridges in the area.

Many people have noticed the work along W.Va. Route 14 (Murdoch Avenue) where crews were removing trees and brush from the hillsides along the road. Work was done starting at the traffic circle and going down to the flood wall.

“This is a project we have been wanting to get done,” Daley said. “There are very large trees…that we consider hazard trees.”

The hillsides along Murdoch Avenue were recently cleared of trees and more as part of a plan to improve highway safety and protect property. Highway officials said some of the trees had gotten so big that if they would have fallen due to bad weather it had the potential to destabilize the hillsides and threaten homes and other structures at the top of the hills. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

Daley warned that there were trees of significant size along there that if they would fall down they could cause a number of problems for drivers and traffic flow along Murdoch Avenue, including possible fatalities.

“If they would come down it would do some serious damage,” he said.

Those trees also posed a danger to some of the homes on the top of the hills in that if they were uprooted due to weather, the ground could be destabilized and possibly cause landslides that could threaten those structures, Daley said.

“That was a big project that we contracted out,” he said, adding the project has been completed.

Daley said they have tried to alert the public, through media releases, about when and where they would be working on roads so people can plan accordingly.

He also appreciated people’s concern for crews out working in traffic zones and helping to keep them safe.

Some residents are not pleased with how the hillsides look now.

Barbara Radiker, of Parkersburg, questioned why the trees and greenery had to be removed to the extent it did.

“The drive up Grand Central now is an eyesore with brown soil and tree stumps sticking out of the ground,” she said. “I am sure this look was not cheap for the taxpayers.

“This `war zone’ look on one of the busiest roads in West Virginia is shameful.”

Radiker had hoped there was a plan to plant some type of ivy or moss.

“I could understand if they went through and weeded it out and took out the big trees,” she said. “They took everything and left stumps sticking out of the ground.”

Daley said the plan now is for it to remain as it is.

Radiker, who is retired, said she has lived in the area all her life and although they might have gone through and cleaned things out she has never seen it done to this extent.

Some residents were worried that removing all the trees and greenery might cause other erosion problems. Radiker said the work along Murdoch Avenue has been a regular topic of conversation with people in groups she is involved with asking questions about why certain things were done.

“Any place I have been where there has been a group and it comes up,” she said. “There are a lot of people asking why it was done and why it looks like it does now.”

Daley said new foliage will be growing there in time and many of the roots from the trees removed are still there which will help with erosion concerns.

“We actually made that area a whole lot safer for the residents and the traveling public,” he said.

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com.