The last three large trees on a scenic section of Riverview Avenue along the Great Miami River Levee will be removed in the next few years, to the disappointment of some McPherson Town residents.

The trees are within 30 yards of the I-75 overpass over Riverview, and two of them will be cut down as part of the Ohio Department of Transportation’s I-75 Modernization Project. Those trees originally were scheduled to be removed Monday, but after feedback from neighbors, ODOT spokeswoman Mandi Abner said Friday the work will be pushed back until late 2014.

The third tree sits on the slope of the levee and will be removed by the Miami Conservancy District at an unknown date, according to MCD spokeswoman Brenda Gibson.

Many McPherson Town residents passionately objected when the Miami Conservancy District removed 16 other mature trees from the levee in August. MCD cited recently enacted federal levee safety guidelines that prohibit trees rooted in the slopes of levees. The trees had shaded the levee path and the neighborhood just north of downtown for decades.

The city of Dayton and RTA planted 23 new trees along the same stretch of Riverview last year, between the I-75 overpass and Main Street. Those trees were planted at the base of the levee rather than on the slope. Some are fast-growing species that can rise 6 feet per year, but it will take years for a canopy to emerge.

Laurie Trick, president of McPherson Town Historical Society, said in an e-mail to neighborhood residents that she is talking to ODOT and contractors about getting the last three trees replaced after they are removed.