Comments on: 19-Year Old Escambia County Woman Killed In I-10 Crash

By: Dave Simpkins

Dave Simpkins — Sun, 18 Apr 2021 16:35:21 +0000

Interesting to see so many people with all this time to pose scenarios, questions and cite historical data. They must be retired…. from their traffic engineer job.

Quite frankly, who cares if a tree was removed or not?
Trees or no trees along the highway. Was there a wall in 2006 or not? Were there trees in 2006 or not? Did people consider moving a oak tree? Did that tree have an identification number? If so, what was it? Was the oak tree moved into a different location? Was the tree harmed or damaged during the incident? Was the tree leaning at all and if so what direction? How many leaves and branches did the tree have in 2006 compared to now? Did the traffic engineer bother to count the leaves and branches?

By: Don Vinyard

Don Vinyard — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 15:26:13 +0000

For everyone person who thinks the walls are dangerous, I bet the folks living just the other side of that wall will beg to differ. Think what could have happened had there not been a wall or a tree. I recall when that wall was being built, a city council woman living 1 1/2 miles away from the wall complained that she could still hear traffic.

By: Tam

Tam — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 21:22:09 +0000

@ Charlie. The noise barrier wall killed my brother back on 8/27/2019. Instead of being straight and flat like other parts of the wall it has a corner to protect an oak tree. The corner damn near spit my brother’s BMW down the center. I could see the ground beneath the back seat. The barrier walls are dangerous. There is nothing in place to slow a vehicle down to lessen the impact of hitting concrete that has no give.

By: Nome, Nome, Nome

Nome, Nome, Nome — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 15:19:41 +0000

Seems like folks woke up this morning and became “Traffic Engineers” eating popcorn over here

By: brian

brian — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 12:36:58 +0000

@ Charlie The interchange and widening was part of the same project with a boundary from Scenic Hwy to Davis Hwy thus including the subject of this story. I should have been more clear. The interchange came first, then the 6 laning to Davis Hwy followed along with a sound barrier wall. The decisions about removing Oaks were made at the beginning during the uproar while removing Oaks at the interchange phase therefore impacting the next phases of the project that included further tree removal for the widening phase of the project as seen from historical satellite imagery. During the widening phase many of the trees were removed as seen from the sat photos that were located between the sound barrier and the roadway except for a couple dozen oaks. I wonder why? Just stating the facts and posing a simple question. Was removal of the Oaks part of the original FDOT plan?

By: Charlie

Charlie — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 04:09:53 +0000

@Brian—I read those two news story links. They concerned trees removed at the Scenic Highway/I-10 interchange exits, & not at the 9th Street overpass area down the road a ways, where it says the accident happened. So why the story links? If not an oak tree that stopped the vehicle, then the barrier wall on that Eastbound side probably would have?

By: David

David — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 03:10:27 +0000

Heart breaking
Prayers for the loved ones and the lost young lady.
I can imagine that pain having gone through it
God Bless

By: Charlie

Charlie — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 01:51:05 +0000

@Brian—
“I’d like to know if this Oak was in the original FDOT plans to be removed.”
Does it really matter? Oak trees do not move & jump in front of cars. If not an oak tree, then what about the barrier walls on each side? Sad about the fatality for sure, but am assuming any oak trees left are not really that close to a travel lane.

By: Brian

Brian — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 18:46:42 +0000

Here’s a news article that describes the people and groups that were opposed to removing those oak trees. This was a big deal back in 2013, FDOT cleared most of those Oaks almost overnight to expand the interchange and this angered the environmentalist and politicians that were blindsided by the tree removal (see Grover Robinson’s article below). After politicians met with FDOT, the remaining oaks were taped off and given a large buffer zone to prevent any accidental damage from construction equipment.

https://www.pnj.com/story/news/2013/12/17/not-so-scenic-highway-state-clears-ancient-oaks-as-part-of-expansion-project/1582766/

and another article with our former Commissioner and Mayor Grover Robinson

http://www.northescambia.com/2013/12/letter-to-the-editor-grover-robinson-on-i-10-scenic-highway-work

I’d like to know if this Oak was in the original FDOT plans to be removed.