No. Castle, State Reps Convince DOT to Address Hazardous Trees on Rt. 128
News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
The Town of North Castle is working with state officials to identify trees that could be a threat to public safety on Route 128 in the vicinity of where a motorist was killed earlier this year.
Supervisor Joseph Rende sent a letter this summer to Assemblyman Chris Burdick (D-Bedford) and state Sen. Shelley Mayer (D-Yonkers) to contact the state Department of Transportation (DOT) to work with the town to address trees that appear to pose a hazard.
The area that is being targeted starts at around School Street northward to the area around Leisure Farm Road in Armonk, Rende said.
“I think with the help of the state we are finally getting some attention,” Rende said. “I kind of feel good about it only from the standpoint that you draft a letter and you hope you’re going to get a response. It doesn’t always do that, but in this case, we got a pretty speedy response.”
The DOT has been surveying the condition of trees along the state route, he said. The town is looking for a surveyor determine what is in the town’s right of way and what the state is responsible for along that corridor. There are certain times of the year when trees can be removed, if that action is needed, according to Rende.
Last week, Burdick said the DOT’s task is to identify trees that could present a danger to the public, and also where they may interfere with power lines. While he wasn’t certain of what stage the DOT was in the process, it is his understanding that they are taking action and prepared to manage the situation.
Burdick said both he and Mayer as well as town officials emphasized the safety issue to the DOT.
“If there’s a hazardous, dangerous situation, we have to address it,” Burdick said.
Late on the afternoon of Apr. 3, Catherine Tusiani, 50, of Armonk was killed on Route 128 between School Street and Leisure Farm Drive when a tree fell on her 2021 Toyota as she was driving home during a heavy rainstorm.
While the DOT did not specify the work that’s being done or when it might be completed, the agency released a statement that it takes the safety of the public and concerns from local governments seriously.
“Safety is always the top priority of the New York State Department of Transportation and we are always willing to engage with our local partners and hear their concerns,” the statement read. “(DOT) maintenance crews routinely patrol state highways, including the entirety of State Route 128, for hazardous trees and, where necessary, identify them for removal.”
The importance of protecting the public from falling trees is of particular concern to North Castle and other towns in the northern half of Westchester where there are many tree-lined roads through rural areas.
On Aug. 9, the day of the last major rainstorm, there were numerous trees that toppled throughout the town and other locations. However, there were apparently no injuries reported in North Castle, Rende said.
The action taken by the state in response to the town’s concerns won’t guarantee there won’t be future tree incidents, but it’s a step that was needed to be taken, the supervisor said.
“We’re taking a proactive approach,” Rende said. “It doesn’t by any means solve all of the problems, even though you may recognize that one tree is diseased, you take that down. You had situations where you have a live, healthy tree in a major event like the storms we had this past week, still come down.”
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
