NORMAN — Residents of Noble, Slaughterville and other areas in southern Cleveland County might have noticed clear cutting of trees along road easements lately, since snow and ice haven’t buried the county, yet.
Rusty Sullivan, county commissioner, said every year at this time crews cut back trees along the sides of roads. During the warmer months, he oversees roadwork, and starting in the fall, he oversees the cleaning up of rights of way.
“A lot of trees hang over roadways,” Sullivan said. “Ice storms break off limbs. We try to be proactive and clean trees up.”
Sullivan said for years there was no proactive program to clear trees along the roadside to keep limbs from falling onto the roadway and to eliminate cedar trees which are time consuming to mow around during mowing season.
Sullivan pointed out that this is the first winter in two years where there hasn’t already been a major snow or ice storm.
He said the Christmas storm two years ago took about a year to a year-and-a-half to clear up. When the storm blew through, all crews were able to do was push snow, limbs and debris off to the side of the roads.
This year, with no storms yet, Sullivan said crews are able to perform regular maintenance and get the roadsides trimmed up to prevent blind intersections and clear areas where drivers are unable to see deer on the roads.
He said many deer are hit in Cleveland County and having them run out onto the roads is dangerous to people. Keeping the trees and shrubs pushed back permits people to see the animals and gives the animals a chance.
“We’re doing some work we’ve been wanting to do,” Sullivan said. “We’re getting ahead.” He added that in years past, he and his crews have usually been “playing catch-up” at this point. “You wouldn’t believe how much time it takes just to pick up limbs,” he said. “We’re seeing the fruits of our labor. It’s kind of nice for the county to look good.”
Crews will continue to work along the roadside and will remain ready to clear limbs in the event of storms.
