There are no plans at this stage to replace more than 30 large poplar trees being felled along the Hawke's Bay Expressway south of the Tutaekuri Bridge.
The trees were planted more than 40 years ago and were originally intended to be a short-term addition to the roadway stretch.
"But they have since gone past their use-by date," regional highways manager Chuck Dowdell said.
The trees had got to a size where they had become a safety risk to motorists.
"We know that a lot of people are rather fond of the trees, and so are we, so it's with a heavy heart that we remove them," Mr Dowdell said.