Tree break for utilities

Published: Wednesday, May 14, 2014 at 5:45 p.m. Last Modified: Wednesday, May 14, 2014 at 5:45 p.m.

Then, a few weeks ago, crews hired by Duke Energy began a clearing operation to keep the company's power lines free of wayward branches in order to ensure customers were able to keep the lights on.

Now, Waters says, the highway leading to his Sparr home bears little resemblance to the route he admired for two decades. And it's all because of Duke's roadside "butchering," as he described it.

"It was nice and shady and real country-like," he said in a recent interview. But "they have wiped out all the trees."

"It's got me all bent out of shape. I don't like it a damn bit. It looks like hell."

That section of Jacksonville Road, running a few miles north of Northeast 95th Street, apparently will look like that for years to come.

According to Duke Energy spokesman Sterling Ivey, the company's contractor cut down between 40 and 50 trees and pruned at least that many more to eradicate the arboreal hazard posed to Duke's power lines.

And, he added in an email, "As of right now, we do not plan to replace any of the trees removed."

Many of those trees had stood for decades, according to nearby residents who had complained about the work.

Ivey has previously said the company understands the cutting may have upset some people, but it was necessary to ensure the flow of power.

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Tree break for utilities