Iconic Trees Going Down

Highway 99 near the Avenue 12 exit south of Madera and the iconic palm and pine trees. Those trees will be removed later this year as part of a major overhaul of that section of the road. Photo: Steve Newvine

In the coming months, the famed palm and pine trees in the median on Highway 99, south of Madera, will be removed.

That’s been the plan all along, as Caltrans approved a concept to replace the two trees in the median with thirty trees along the western side of the highway.

The palm and the pine are considered the center of California, the midpoint between the Mexican and the Oregon borders.

The two trees were meant to signal drivers that they are crossing from the palms of southern California to the pines of the north, or vice versa, if you are going in the other direction.

Road improvements on Highway 99 will be located south of the Avenue 12 exit, south of Madera. The road connects the major cities within the San Joaquin Valley. Photo: Steve Newvine

Planted decades ago with at least one being replaced over that time, they stood in the median and provided passersby a landmark on their journey through the state.

As the highway was expanded in recent years to include more six-lane passages, transportation planners knew the day would come when the palm and the pine would have to go.

But with the removal of the trees from the median, a new display will be planted to greet drivers as the expansion project continues on the highway.

“The anticipated timeframe for relocating the palm and pine trees is Fall 2026,” said Larry Johnson, the Public Information Officer for Caltrans.

Plans call for planting fifteen pine and fifteen palm trees along the west side of Highway 99, a short distance south of the current spot.

Caltrans believes the thirty new trees will give motorists passing seventy miles per hour a better view of the Palm and the Pine.

According to the Caltrans plan that outlines the construction project, the new palm and pine designation “Will be an upgraded regional landmark symbolizing the center of California, adding to the visual character of the project corridor.”

Get your last look at the palm and pine, because later this year, the two trees will be removed. In their place will be thirty pines and palms along the west side of Highway 99. Photo: San Joaquin Sun

The plan (available at DOT.CA.Gov) indicates that the current pair of trees in the median will be removed in 2025.

At the time the decision was reached, Larry Johnson explained the highway expansion was the right moment to do something special regarding the palm and the pine, “With the added lanes, one in each direction, and the new center divider, the trees had to come out.”

This section of Highway 99 will have six lanes of traffic once the project is finished.

The exact location of the palm and pine on Highway 99 is more symbolic than accurate. The actual geographical center of the state is about forty miles due east of the roadway in North Fork, Madera County.

But before anyone will drive past an array of fifteen palms and fifteen pines, there will be many more sites of construction equipment, hard hats, safety vests, and the inevitable traffic slowdowns as this new section of Highway 99 gets an upgrade.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

His books are available locally at the Merced County Courthouse Museum gift shop and Bookish Modesto, located at 811 W Roseburg Avenue in the Roseburg Square Shopping Center. Online, the book is on Amazon, BN, and at his publishing site, Jack & Johnny (lulu.com)

He has written about the palm and the pine several times over the past twelve years. He has been interviewed by broadcast stations in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, and Sacramento about the trees and their meaning to the region.

LINKS TO THE PALM AND THE PINE ARTICLES

https://www.mercedcountyevents.com/steve-newvine-1/on-the-99-the-palm-meets-the-pine

https://www.mercedcountyevents.com/steve-newvine-1/the-palm-and-the-pine-from-the-air-

https://www.mercedcountyevents.com/steve-newvine-1/a-new-view-of-the-palm-and-the-pine-

https://www.mercedcountyevents.com/steve-newvine-1/midway-between-oregon-and-mexico-

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