Last week, the North Bend Public Works team was busy on Orchard Drive SE, working on a stretch between Meadow Drive and Riverside Drive, right next to the Si View Community Center.
They’re focusing on fixing sidewalks damaged by tree roots along the street. This involves removing 23 trees and planning to plant new ones in their place.
The maple trees on Orchard Drive have been a problem. Their roots grew beyond the barriers meant to contain them, pushing up the metal covers around the trees and making the sidewalk uneven. This looks bad and makes it easy for people to trip and fall.
When street tree roots start breaking up sidewalks and curbs and getting in the way of underground utilities, it’s expensive to fix, makes it harder for everyone to get around safely and can lead to accidents.
The crews work hard to remove deep root balls in each tree well. After that, they’ll install new barriers to keep roots in check and plant 23 Golden Belltower Ironwoods. These trees grow slowly and turn a lovely shade of gold in the fall, making them a great choice for the area.
This effort is part of the city’s ongoing mission to keep the streets beautiful, make walking easier and safer for everyone, and connect different parts of the city. Over the past few years, North Bend has been actively replacing trees that needed removal from downtown and the Forster Woods area. They’ve also been fixing sidewalks and trimming tree roots to make them safer on Mountain View Boulevard.
The project on Orchard Drive is set to be finished by the start of summer.
[Information provided by the City of North Bend]
