Vandalized tree removal closes major South Asheville intersection at Monday rush hour

Katie Wadington | The Citizen-Times

Show Caption Hide Caption Vandalized South Asheville tree removed An old oak tree at the corner of Mills Gap and Sweeten Creek roads is removed on Aug. 13, 2018, after it was vandalized with paint and cut.

ASHEVILLE - Vandalism to one of the giant oak trees at the corner of Mills Gap and Sweeten Creek roads closed the intersection at rush hour on Monday as crews removed the tree.

The road was reopened in time for Tuesday morning traffic.

The tree was spray-painted with red and yellow paint, making the cross signs. It also had been cut three-quarters of the way through, putting it at risk for falling and threatening power lines on Mills Gap, said Jason Walls, district manager with Duke Energy, late Monday afternoon. The tree could not be saved, he added.

Duke worked with N.C. Department of Transportation crews on the removal of the tree, he said.

Tree removal continued past dusk.

A 242-unit apartment complex is being built by developer Rusty Pulliam at the 60 Mills Gap Road site, former home to a plastic-injection molding company.

The trees at the corner were slated to be removed as part of a road-widening project, developer Rusty Pulliam said in July.

"We had every intention to keep those oaks," Pulliam said. "It was not part of our plan to take them down, but when (the North Carolina DOT) announced plans to widen Mills Gap and Sweeten Creek, those oaks are going to be gone."

RELATED: Answer Man: Mills Gap 'castle wall' to stay like that?

Asheville Police spokeswoman Christina Hallingse said late Monday the tree was on NCDOT property. APD will be coordinating with the state agency, adding the incident will be subject to investigation.

Nearby resident Shannon Featherstone crouched on the driveway of the gas station across the street Monday evening as he watched a worker in a bucket truck take the tree down limb by limb.

Featherstone worked for the U.S. Forest Service for 11 years in Lincoln County. Based on the size of the tree, he estimated it to be 175-200 years old.