MURRELLS INLET, S.C. (WBTW) — Murrells Inlet residents say they’re on a mission to save a decades-old tree that stands in the way of a South Carolina Department of Transportation project.
SCDOT plans to make improvements this fall to what many say is a dangerous intersection. The work includes adding a stoplight and turn lanes at Tadlock Drive and the Highway 17 connector.
Residents tell News13 the tree is a 200-year-old live oak. When you measure it from limb to limb, it’s about 100 feet wide. Many say they don’t want to see it gone because it’s the “face of the inlet.”
“It really embodies the spirit of Murrells Inlet,” said Bradley Parker, a longtime Murrells Inlet resident. “The shade that these trees provide, the life that it provides and the feeling that you get, it’s almost majestic.”
When you ride into the tiny fishing village, whether you’re a local or visitor, you can’t miss the large oak tree that greets you on the way in.
“A lot of people are attached to it,” longtime resident Ralph Preston said. “Probably the longer you’ve been here, the longer, more you will be attached to it.”