Wake Forest Power Closes West Oak Avenue for Tree Trimming

Wake Forest Power carried out planned tree trimming along West Oak Avenue between North Wingate Street and North Main Street from December 9 through December 11, with work scheduled from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day, weather permitting. Crews closed the roadway during those hours to allow arborists and line crews to prune branches that posed a hazard to overhead power lines, a standard practice intended to lower the probability of storm related outages.

Signage, cones, and flaggers were in place to direct traffic during the closure, and motorists experienced intermittent delays while crews worked. The temporary restrictions affected local traffic patterns around downtown Wake Forest, with some drivers taking parallel streets to avoid congestion. Businesses along the closed segment adjusted deliveries and customer access during the work window.

The town provided contact details for the tree trimming supervisor and directed residents to the town website for background on the power utility's vegetation management program, including safety and outage prevention information. Residents who experienced access issues or had questions about specific trimming activity were advised to use the town resources for follow up and reporting.

Vegetation management around power infrastructure is a routine public safety measure that balances reliability, property considerations, and community aesthetics. In Wake Forest the program aims to reduce outages during storms, a growing concern as more intense weather events become part of regional climate patterns. Local officials and the utility coordinate schedules to limit disruption and to inform residents in advance.

For residents planning travel in the area, expect similar maintenance work to occur periodically on utility corridors. Those with mobility needs or business deliveries impacted by scheduled closures should contact town staff for assistance and updates. The closure on West Oak Avenue underscores the ongoing trade off between short term traffic inconvenience and long term improvements to the electrical system's resilience.