The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) reminds residents and property owners trimming bushes and trees along state-owned roads increases safety for motorists as well as the service life of state-owned roadways.
Tree trimming and removal provide "daylighting" to the roadway, allowing sunlight to speed snow and ice melt during winter. It also enhances sight distance at some locations and lessens the potential for old and dead trees to fall onto the road.
Mowing and trimming operations are handled by PennDOT maintenance crews and contracted companies throughout the year in accordance with the state's roadside maintenance policies, which states the department has "the absolute right to trim, cut and remove any trees, grasses, shrubs and vines growing within the legal right-of-way of any state highway."
The policy also prohibits PennDOT employees from cutting or removing any vegetation from utility lines.
"There is a common misconception that PennDOT is responsible for all tree cutting done along the roadways. While we do proactive trimming and removals, we cannot and will not remove trees or branches leaning on utility lines," said Doug Schofield, Assistance District Executive – Maintenance. "We rely on partnerships with our local utility companies to get that work done during emergencies and preemptively as they deem it is warranted. Our employees are not trained in the expertise needed to handle those hazardous situations."
Concerns and requests about trees or branches leaning on utility lines should be directed to the local utility providers. Any concerns of this sort placed in PennDOT's Customer Care Center cannot be transferred directly to the utility company.
More information on PennDOT's vegetation management program is available online at www.penndot.pa.gov.
PennDOT's northwest region shares weekly updates on other roadway maintenance activities through email blasts and the District 1 Maintenance and Traffic Bulletins section of the website.
Subscribe to PennDOT maintenance updates, news and traffic alerts in Crawford, Erie, Forest, Mercer, Venango, and Warren counties at www.penndot.pa.gov/District1.
Information about infrastructure in District 1, including completed work and significant projects, is available at www.penndot.pa.gov/D1Results. Find PennDOT's planned and active construction projects at www.projects.penndot.gov.
Follow local PennDOT news on Twitter and like the department on Facebook and Instagram.
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Contact: Jill Harry, 814-678-5035 or jharry@pa.gov