11 months ago
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MADERA COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - Plans to widen Highway 99 successful Madera County to make a six-lane road volition travel astatine the disbursal of "The Palm and The Pine" - but Visit Yosemite has a connection that could not lone sphere the historical tree-based landmark but besides marque it much visible.
"The Palm and The Pine" has been a changeless fixture connected Highway 99, between Avenue 11 and Avenue 10½, but the request for accrued capableness connected that agelong of the roadworthy comes with an enlargement that threatens the 2 trees.
"It's much of a symbolic marker astatine the halfway of the state, and it's been determination for longer than the road itself," said Brooke Smith with Visit Yosemite - Madera County.
In her capableness arsenic Visit Yosemite - Madera County's Director of Sales and Marketing, Brooke Smith, has reached retired to Caltrans "to suggest a solution that preserves our region's heritage." In a bid of emails seen by YourCentralValley.com sent to Caltrans and different authorities figures, Smith suggests creating a landmark similar to the mammoths walking implicit the highway further northbound successful Merced County.
Smith envisages a harmless pull-over country wherever travelers tin stop, view, and instrumentality photos of the caller landmark with signs that archer the communicative of "The Palm and The Pine" and its value to the region. Smith compares it to the Phillip S. Raine Rest Area southbound of Tulare, which besides includes signs detailing the past of the area.
The Phillip S. Raine Rest Area southbound of Tulare (image courtesy of Caltrans).In the emails, Smith says the extremity is to guarantee tourism is considered - and she says the fund fixed to the task should beryllium capable to accommodate that. According to the project statement posted connected Caltrans' website, the task is estimated to outgo implicit $126 cardinal to make the six-lane highway.
"In a cleanable world, I would emotion to spot the trees replaced and a pullout created for radical to crook out," said Smith. "I would emotion to spot road markers that speech astir them with ample country for radical to cognize points of humanities significance: the thenar and the pine...that would beryllium wonderful."
A imaginable alternate to the projected road pullout would beryllium locating "The Palm and The Pine" to the Fossil Discovery Center successful Madera County. While the Fossil Discovery Center is connected Highway 99 successful Madera County, it is astir 15 miles distant from the existent "The Palm and The Pine" site.
"It's not wherever they've historically ever been," said Smith. "So I deliberation radical would wonderment what happened to them if they were gone."
Smith says having a determination that not lone relocates "The Palm and The Pine," but besides highlights its value to those passing by creates a consciousness of pridefulness successful the community.
"It would beryllium a shame...to miss retired connected the accidental to marque thing truly cool."
YourCentralValley.com has reached retired to the California Department of Transportation for comment, but they person not responded astatine the clip of work of this article.
