The westbound lane of 11th Avenue between Franklin and Washington streets – across the street from the Natural Resources Building – will be closed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 19 so a contractor can remove three black locust trees.

The locust trees are being removed because branches are growing into overhead power lines and dead branches are hanging over the adjacent sidewalk, posing a safety hazard.

Enterprise Services is working with Cedar Creek Correctional Center to turn some of the wood into lumber to construct a bench that will be returned to the location.

Three new trees will be planted at the site in October as part of an Urban Forestry Month celebration. Enterprise Services is working with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to select and plant site-appropriate replacement trees. DNR will purchase the new trees.

Other tree work

ArborCare, a private tree care company hired by the state, will remove and trim several other campus trees during the next two weeks.

On Saturday, Aug. 23, ArborCare will remove 13 locust trees near the parking lot by the Transportation building and Maple Park Avenue on the east Capitol Campus. The locusts have many dead branches that are overhanging sidewalks and parked vehicles. Enterprise Services will plant 13 new trees at the site this fall.

The company will also remove three invasive holly trees along 11th Avenue and a dying cherry tree near Capitol Way and the North Diagonal. A new tree of a different species will be planted to replace the cherry tree. Some trimming work and stump grinding will be done at various locations on the campus.

Sid Snyder Avenue Project

Four trees on the south side of Sid Snyder Avenue will be removed as part of a larger project to repair and replace underground utility infrastructure, including 80-year-old water lines. The trees slated for removal include a purple-leaf beech, red oak, red maple and London plane tree. The trees are quite large and are not well suited to the limited space between the street and sidewalk. In addition, it appears the trees may suffer a fungal infestation, making it unlikely the trees could survive the construction project.

The state will plant 16 new street trees that will line both sides of the street. These trees will help create a formal corridor for the southern entrance to the west campus and the Legislative Building, as outlined in the original Olmsted Brothers campus landscape plan.

More landscape work

Enterprise Services grounds staff have begun work to renovate the lawns on the west Capitol Campus. The lawns may appear a bit torn up initially but should look much better this fall and next spring.

The grounds keepers will be aerating lawns, adding a thin layer of compost, fertilizing and spreading lime to renovate the turf and address a matting issue caused by the unique type of grass on the historic west campus. Since the turf will look torn up for a short time, the grounds keepers will do the work in sections instead of all at once.

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